LINGUIST List 4.398

Mon 24 May 1993

Qs: Media literacy, Intercultural, Solar power

Editor for this issue: <>

Directory

1. Simeon J. Yates, Computer media literacy...
2. , Apology speech act and intercultural communication
3. "Evan L. Antworth 214/709-3346", solar-powered computing

I realise this is not quite the usual type of discussion
topic for the linguist list but it is a linguistic,
socio-linguistic/psycho-lingusitic perspective from
which the question has arisen. In looking at literacy
practices around computer-mediated-communication I have
been unable to find many references to the practice
of READING from a computer screen. I have been able
to collect many references which discuss producing
electronic texts but little on their consumption. Do
any other list members know of such references?

Simeon Yates,
CITE
IET
Open University
Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA
England.

s.j.yatesuk.ac.open

I am the M.A. thesis chair of a student comparing a sample of native
Japanese and Spanish speakers' ESL apologies to those of a sample of native
English speakers. In the literature he has reviewed (consisting largely of
the work of Olshtain, Cohen, Blum-Kulka, and Holmes), he has found no
references to cross-cultural communications studies or detailed
descriptions of the apology speech act (ethnographies) of the cultures he
is studying.

We found some of his findings surprising. For example, all three
populations (native English, Spanish ESL and Japanese ESL speakers)
responded with more elaborate apologies to persons of both greater AND
lesser social status than they did to persons who would be considered
equals. Another surprise--to us, at least--was that Japanese males
responded with more elaborate apologies than did Japanese females. He
would appreciate any information or suggestions you might have as to what
is going on and whose work might be relevant to this issue.

Please send your responses to me; I'll forward them to him. If there is
much interest we'll post a summary.
 ----------------------------------------------------------
 Kirk Belnap
 4062 JKHB
 Brigham Young University
 Provo, Utah 84602
 (801) 378-6531
 belnapkyvax.byu.edu
 ----------------------------------------------------------

I have a dim recollection of seeing a recent book about using solar power
with portable computers, presumably intended for field linguists and
anthropologists. Can anyone provide a reference?

Evan.Antworthsil.org