LINGUIST List 6.627

Sun 30 Apr 1995

Qs: German marking, Telephone lg, Comp/etymology, 1952 project

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Directory

1. David S Braun, Sources (synchronic and diachronic) for German [+foreign] marking
2. "Zoltan Herczegh", Language in telephony services in diff. languages
3. Jerome Serme, Comparative/etymological dictionaries
4. Jerome Serme, Whatever happened to?

I am looking for synchronic and diachronic discussions of (a) classification of
"foreign" words in German as neuter and of (b) plural marking of "foreign" with
the suffix -s. I am talking about nouns such as *das* Theater, *das* Buero,
*das* Kaffee, *das* Auto, *das* Verbum etc. and plural forms such as: Auto-s,
Buero-s, etc. Any sources which might discuss the history of these
phenomena or their synchronic treatment will be appreciated. My thanks in
advance!

David Braun
dovidmit.edu

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I am interested in the use of language in telephony systems,
especially in IVR systems, in automatic telephone services
like class services.

Also, I would like to know what announcements
are used in error situations (e.g. if you dial a wrong number)
also when different services are activated (e.g. call forwarding).

I am interested in collecting samples of such announcements,
messages in different languages, especially European languages.

Please send me samples in the original language.

Thanks in advance,

Zoltan Herczegh

zoltan.herczeghhaninge.trab.se

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To complete a study of semantic development with universal aims, I need=
 references of comparative and/or etymological dictionaries of the various=
 world's language families. Especially welcome will be references on=
 language families in which the mother-tongue is attested through written=
 documents (eg. Latin for the Romance languages) and therefore where the=
 primary meanings are not reconstructed. At present, I have detailed =
 references for the Romance family only.
Any suggestion will be welcome.

_________________________________________
Jerome Serme
Dynamique du Langage
Maison Rhone-Alpes des Sciences de l'Homme
14, avenue Berthelot
69363 Lyon Cedex - FRANCE
Phone: +33 72 72 64 08 - +33 72 72 64 12
=46ax: +33 72 80 00 08
E-Mail: Jerome.Sermemrash.fr
_________________________________________

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In his article 'Semantic Universals' (in "Universals in Language", J.=
 Greenberg ed., MIT Press, 1963, p. 240), Stephen Ullmann speaks about a=
 project announced (apparently by a J. Schropfer) at the London Congress of=
 linguists in 1952 : "the compilation of a 'dictionary of semantic=
 parallels'". It was supposed to collect data from various languages, of=
 parallel metaphors and metonymies, and thus constitute a database for=
 natural tendencies of semantic change. Does anyone know whatever happened=
 to that project?

_________________________________________
Jerome Serme
Dynamique du Langage
Maison Rhone-Alpes des Sciences de l'Homme
14, avenue Berthelot
69363 Lyon Cedex - FRANCE
Phone: +33 72 72 64 08 - +33 72 72 64 12
=46ax: +33 72 80 00 08
E-Mail: Jerome.Sermemrash.fr
_________________________________________