LINGUIST List 4.2

Wed 06 Jan 1993

FYI: Award, Minimal Pairs

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Directory

1. SUE ATKINS, Verbatim 1993 Award
2. "J.J. Higgins - Education", Re: Minimal pairs

EURALEX: 1993 VERBATIM AWARD

Applications are invited for this Award, administered by the
European Association for Lexicography (EURALEX), for the purpose
of supporting unpaid lexicographical work of any type, including
study. The amount available is 1,500 pounds sterling; an
individual award may vary in size from 250 pounds sterling
to the full amount.

The key dates are:
 July 1st 1993 receipt of applications
 October 1st 1993 notification of results
 January 1st 1994 presentation of Award(s)

Applications should take the form of:

1. a letter specifying the amount applied for;
2. a statement giving full details of the purpose to which the
 funds would be put, and an indication of expected tangible
 results (eg publications);
3. a curriculum vitae, including qualifications and details of
 previous lexicographical or related work;

Four copies of the entire application should be sent to: b
to:
 1993 Verbatim Award
 EURALEX Secretariat
 PO Box 1017
 DK-1007 Copenhagen K
 Denmark.

If no acknowledgement is received within a reasonable period,
candidates are asked to contact the EURALEX Secretary at the
above address. The Award is open to EURALEX members only, but
applications are accepted from people who have applied for mem-
bership and are awaiting confirmation of this. Further details
about EURALEX from Sue Atkins (btatkinsvax.oxford.ac.uk).

Homophones and minimal pairs in English; how many are there?

Members of LINGUIST may be interested in a program I have written to
extract homophones and minimal pairs from an electronic dictionary. The
source is the version of the Advanced Learners' Dictionary deposited by
Roger Mitton in the Oxford Text Archive. The program sorts the
pronunciation field and flags all homophones. It then replaces two
characters in the pronunciation field with the same dummy character and
sees how many additional homophones this creates.

I have deposited on the LISTSERV a brief description of the project and the
lists for FEET/FIT, HAD/HEAD, PULL/POOL, BAN/PAN, FAN/VAN, THIN/TIN,
THY/THIGH, LOCK/ROCK, and homophones. I welcome suggestions as to which of
the 491 potential lists I should tackle next.

Apologies to TESL-L subscribers who may have seen most of this before.

Happy 1993!

John Higgins, School of Education, University of Bristol
J.Higginsbristol.ac.uk