LINGUIST List 6.1095

Mon Aug 14 1995

Qs: Galicismos, Grammar course, English as Isolating lg

Editor for this issue: T. Daniel Seely <dseelyemunix.emich.edu>

Directory

1. "Joseph M. Kozono", The other side of *galicismos*
2. Michael Kischner, Re: Grammar/syntax courses at the college freshman/sophomore level
3. Hideo Fujii, English as an Isolating lang.

*Galicismo* is a Spanish term which names the improper introduction
of French words which are Spanish sounding and thus very deceptive to
the ear. *Galicismo* is often considered to be a *barbarismo*.

What would be the term which designates the opposite phenomenon, that is
unlawful words of Spanish origin which may have crept into French?
Can someone provide examples?

Thank you

Joseph M Kozono <kozonojgunet.georgetown.edu>

I would like to hear from people who teach or know of grammar or syntax
courses offered at the college freshman or sophomore level. We teach
such a course at North Seattle Community College. It concentrates on
syntax and teaches a formal, traditional approach to it. We even use
Reed-Kellog diagrams rather than phrase structure trees. Another piece
of the course applies the syntax to the improvement of writing. In that
part of the course we use sentence combining.

The course was created here by my colleague, Edith Wollin, and I know
that, in its present form, it is probably unique. It should be taught
elsewhere, for it is very successful. Students praise it and recommend
it to other sdtudernts. THey even say it makes them better readers!

We present the material at a level and pace that would make it too
challenging for many developmental-level students. The course is
certainly as rigorous as sany other 100-level and 200-level course in
most colleges; indeed, we think it rivals many higher-level courses in
usefulness. But we are aware that it does not present the broad
linguistics-based grammar covered in the typical 300-level grammar
course. One professor of such a course at the UNiversity of Washington
told me our course sounds like excellent preparation for his. He said he
would love to get students who already know what a clause is.

I would be grateful to hear from colleagues who know of any kind of
grammmar or syntax course at the freshman or sophomore level. Thanks.

Michael Kischner
North Seattle Community College
Seattle, WA 98103

(206) 528-4540

Dear Collegues,

 Sometimes I've heard that English is becoming more the
isolating language from the inflecting one typologically.
I would like to know the discussion aboout the phenomena
or actual evidences to explain this argument.

 So, could you please give some knowledge or any literature
about this topic?

 I will post a summary. Thank you very much.

- Hideo Fujii
 Computer Science Department
 University of Massachusetts
 at Amherst