LINGUIST List 4.773

Wed 29 Sep 1993

Qs: Middle East, Code switching, E.B. Ryan, Sign language

Editor for this issue: <>

Directory

1. Robert D Hoberman, Language and life in the Middle East
2. mkverma, Code-switching/mixing
3. gina mikel petrie, E.B. Ryan study
4. "Alan S. Kaye", Re: 4.767 Y'all

 State University of New York at Stony Brook
 Stony Brook, NY 11794-3355

 Robert Hoberman
 Comparative Studies Dept.
 516-632-7462, -7460
 28-Sep-1993 10:55am EDT



I'm going to be teaching a course on "Language and Life in the Middle East" for
linguistics majors and non-majors. I would be grateful for suggestions of
bibliography on the subject (especially more recent items), both sources for me
and readings to assign the students. By "language and life" I mean language in
relation to society, culture, history, and politics, with topics including
social varieties, status and attitutes, language policies, cultural patterns
reflected in language use, language contact, writing systems, literacy, etc.
Include in the "Middle East" are Morocco, Turkey, Iran, and countries in
between (haven't decided about Ethiopia and Somalia), including not only the
national languages Arabic, Turkish, Persian, and Hebrew but also minority
languages such as Berber, Kurdish, and Aramaic.

Please send your suggestions directly to me. I will compile a list and gladly
send a copy to anyone who asks.

Bob Hoberman
rhobermanccmail.sunysb.edu
rhobermansbccmail.bitnet

Dear Linguists

I am a sociolinguist working in the area of code-switching/mixing.

I would appreciate any references which anyone may have on this topic. In
particular, I am interested in the functions of code-switching/mixing.

Please direct all replies to the address below. Thanks

Mahendra K Verma
Lecturer in Linguistics and Hindi
University of York, UK

mkv1vax.york.ac.uk

Fellow Linguists,

 Does anyone know of any studies that have confirmed Ellen

Bouchard Ryan and Richard J. Sebastian's 1980 study entitled, "The

effects of speech style and social class background on social judgements

of speakers," in which they concluded, " . . . accent does not matter as

much for individuals known to be from the middle class"? Please either

reply here or to me at gmikelsilver.ucs.indiana.edu.



 Thanks,


 Gina Mikel Petrie

Message 4: Re: 4.767 Y'all

I have a student in my phonology class wanted to research "Sign Lang.
Phonology." I know that this term is used in sign lang. studies, and
that the term 'phoneme' is used for the antiquated 'chereme'. What I am
interested in is the fact that for most linguists, I think, phonology
somehow IMPLIES sound (yes, phonemes, etc., are ABSTRACT fictions,
and so on).
Why and how did phonology come to take on the meaning that it clearly
has in sign language studies? Do other linguists agree that phonology
deals with the sound system(s) of language(s) to the unitiated linguists
out there? How can the sign language experts justify (in any sense
of the term) using phonology for cherology (the minimum distinct level
in sign languge(s))?
I know there are many parallels between ORAL phonology and SIGN LG.
phonology. What I do not comprehend is why 'cherology' is not used
for the well-established term 'phonology'. Also, what are other lang-
uages doing here (Spanish, French, German, Russian, etc.)?

Alan Kaye
Linguistics
CSU, Fullerton
Fullerton, CA 92634
akayefullerton.edu