LINGUIST List 6.1563

Mon Nov 6 1995

Misc: New List, Jokes, Sum, Binary comparison

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

Directory

1. Gwyn Williams, New List: English Language Teaching in Asia
2. Ted Harding, Re: 6.1553, Sum: What's Funny? (part 2)
3. Michael Covington, Re: 6.1553, Sum: What's Funny? (part 2)
4. , pidgin/creole list
5. , Binary comparison in German

 ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING IN ASIA - MAILING LIST
 (ELTASIA-L)

PURPOSE AND SCOPE
- ---------------
 To provide an international scholarly forum and central archive to
facilitate and co-ordinate the discussion, research, documentation, and
dissemination of information on the teaching and learning of English in Asia.

 The scope of discussion covers all aspects of the teaching and learning
of English in Asia and by Asians, including:

 - research and publication
 - cultural issues in language teaching and learning
 - the status of English
 - localized varieties of English
 - language problems and/or difficulties
 - English for Specific Purposes
 - teaching methodology, materials and curriculum
 - classroom technology
 - teacher training
 - conference announcements and information
 - information about employment opportunities and working conditions
etc

 To subscribe, mail to: majordomonectec.or.th

 Leave the "Subject:" line blank. In the body of the message, type:

 subscribe ELTASIA-L

Inquiries to: <eltasia-l-requestnectec.or.th>

Message 2: Re: 6.1553, Sum: What's Funny? (part 2)

( Re Message From: The Linguist List )
> LINGUIST List: Vol-6-1553. Sat Nov 4 1995. ISSN: 1068-4875. Lines: 233
>
> Subject: 6.1553, Sum: What's Funny? (part 2)
>
> ***************
> >From jonsound.music.mcgill.ca
>
> The Scottish town of Fife, a well-known fishing centre, hosts an
> annual international competition whose winner is he who manages to
> consume the greatest quantity of fish. The particular variety of fish
> involved is tench, a local favorite, abundant off the North Atlantic
> coast and exported throughout the whole EEC.
>
On a point of fact, and with regrets: The tench is a strictly fresh-water
fish of, principally, South-to-Midland England and Ireland (within the
British Isles), and absent from most of Scotland (though possibly can be
found in Fife); it is not valued as food in Britain and is certainly not
an object of major trade. (It attracts some esteem in Continental Europe;
and was also commonly reared in medieval monasteries' stewponds.)

However, the punch-line:
>
> ONE TOOTH FREE FOR FIFE'S HICKS: SVEN ATE NINE TENCH
>
is a delight and merits a good setting.

Solemnly,
Ted. (Ted.Hardingnessie.mcc.ac.uk)

Message 3: Re: 6.1553, Sum: What's Funny? (part 2)

If you like strings of prepositions, note that the example sentence
(the little boy's remark) can be altered as follows:

The boy was back home in England but the book was about Australian
cricket. Accordingly:

"What did you bring the book that I didn't want to be read
to out of about over after over down in Down Under up for?"

(This is not original; I heard it from Holt Parker.)
-
Michael A. Covington http://www.ai.uga.edu/faculty/covington/
Artificial Intelligence Center <><
The University of Georgia Unless specifically indicated, I am
Athens, GA 30602-7415 U.S.A. not speaking for the University.

My thanks to the dozen or so of you who responded to
my inquiry as to the existence of a discussion list
devoted to pidgins/creoles.
Nearly every one of you said that you knew of no such
list but wanted to be notified if there were. So, it
appears that such a list does not exist but a number of
people would be interested in participating if there
were.


******************************************************************
Edward Callary Phone: 815-753-6627
Editor, NAMES Fax: 815-753-0606
English Department Internet: ecallaryniu.edu
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, Il 60115-2863
******************************************************************

Mark A. Mandel (Markccgate.dragonsys.com) wrote:

>I recall reading of a German linguist (or philologist?) who applied
>binary reconstruction with an almost pathological severity, quoting
>and applying a German maxim that I can only remember the outline of.
>It was a rhymed couplet in iambic trimeter,
> da-DA da-DA da-DA
> da-DA da-DA da-DA
>The first line meant something like "through the mouths of two
>witnesses", and went something like "Durch zweier Zeugen Mund..."
>(That may well be an ungrammatical German fragment, but blame my
>memory).

I don't know the quote or the persnickety linguist, but an easy way to finish
the couplet would be:

	Durch zweier Zeugen Mund
	Wird stets die Wahrheit kund.

"Through two witnesses' mouths, the truth will always become known."

That's far too few, in my opinion; but then, the quote is absolutely
inapplicable to binary comparison regardless of the number.

Leo A. Connolly Foreign Languages & Literatures
connollymsuvx1.memphis.edu University of Memphis