LINGUIST List 3.964

Tue 08 Dec 1992

Qs: Wannabe, Case Quarter, Old English, Psycholinguistics

Editor for this issue: <>

Directory

1. Larry Horn, Query for a renowned 'computer information service'
2. Ann Taylor, query about "case quarter"
3. , Query: Old English
4. , Psycholinguistics text

Yes, I believe it may well have been our Linguist List that the New York Times
had in mind when it wrote earlier this week about 'a cultural explosion taking
place on computer information services around the clock, around the world on
subjects as diverse as "Beverly Hills 90210", Richard Strauss's "Four Last
Songs", and the fine points of Chomskian linguistics'. Pretty fast company
we're keeping (if indeed it's we who are keeping it).
 Anyway, what I was wondering about was the history and distribution of
"wannabe", as it occurs in compounds like 'a Noam Chomsky wannabe' or
'linguist wannabes'. Can anyone provide a plausible reconstruction of how and
when this construction originated and what its distribution is? It appears
that at least now both names and common nouns can appear as the first member
of such compounds, and that 'wannabe' occurs only a nominal head of such
compounds, at least in the citations I've come across. Thus, it's quite
syntactically distinct from freestanding 'has-been' and, unlike 'would-be',it
doesn't occur as a prenominal adjective. I would also speculate that the
signular is back-formed from the plural, given the morphology (*a Chomsky
wantsabe). Are there other instances of formations even remotely similar to
what must be assumed here?
 --Larry Horn (LHORNYALEVM.bitnet)
P.S. For outlanders, 'wannabe' is--as you've probably guessed by
now--pronounced to rhyme with 'ON a bee', and 'X is a Y wannabe' means
something like 'X wishes s/he were (a) Y'

Does anyone know the origin of the term "case quarter" (not sure of the
spelling) which seems to be used to refer to a quarter coin in particular,
rather than a "quarter" made up of smaller coins?

Does anyone know where I can find audio-cassette
recordings of Old English readings? I would like to
know the names of publishers or societies that
produce such recordings, and the names of particular
titles. Are any available for purchase?
Many thanks in advance to anyone who replies.

 HELP! A couple of months ago, someone asked for info about
undergraduate intro psycholinguistics texts. I would be very
greatful if that person would send me the results of the request.
 I'm teaching a new undergrad, upper division intro to
psycholinguistics next semester. The publisher has just told me
that Jean Berko Gleason's new text will not be available until
late February or early March--at best. I'd like a text that
stresses pychology and neurology (data and experimental design)
more than linguistic theory. All annotated suggestions welcomed.
 -Thanks
 Steve Chandler, U. of Idaho

P.s. I'll save wantever info I get for anyone interested in it.