LINGUIST List 7.1375

Sat Oct 5 1996

Qs: Dialects and comp, Language revival, Minimalist program

Editor for this issue: Ann Dizdar <dizdartam2000.tamu.edu>

Directory

1. Sonja Launspach, dialects and composition
2. MJ Allen, Language Revival.
3. Chieko Kuribara, parameters and minimalist program

A colleague and I are designing two workshops dealing with dialect
awareness and composition skills. We are planning one for the
composition teachers and one for the students. I would like to tap in
on the expertise of this list and solicit suggestions from list
members, especially if you have done a similar project or unit.

We would like to set up the teacher's workshop to 1) educate them (
since they are non-linguists) on dialects differences,--how to
identify dialect features-rhetorical and syntactic and 2) how to
discuss the issue sensitively with the students. We are trying to work
out the best approach to take so as not to alienate the student or
cause them to be defensive in any way. I would especially welcome
input from minority colleagues on this aspect of our project. We are
in a state with a large African American population.

The workshop for the students would be more fun. Our plan was to use
videos, exercises or in class projects to raise students' awareness of
the existence of dialect and use that as a way to talk about learning
academic English and discussions of audience and language choices that
they as writers could make.

I know about the video _American Tongues_. Are there
any others out there?

I'll be glad to put together a summary of the suggestions
if there is any interest.

Thanks for your help
Sonja Launspach
Linguistics Program
University of South Carolina
T720026vm.sc.edu

I am researching Language Revival (Reversing Language Shift). I have been
trying to get hold of this book for over a year:

 The Problem of Language Revival
 by

 Peter Beresford Ellis and Seumas Mac A' Ghobhainn (1971)
			(Inverness: Club Leabhar)

I wonder if anyone knows of a copy which could I could buy or borrow.
I know Professor Fishman has one because he says so in his book
(Fishman,1991), but he got his from Nancy Dorian.It has been out of print
for some years. 

I'd also welcome other suggestions about Language Revival.

Thanks,

Regards 

Margaret Allen

Dear linguists:

I'm doing a research on Japanese speakers' acquisition of English. I
would like ask you how minimalist program explains parametric
variations across languages. There was such a query in 'Linguisti
List'. An answer for the question was that the parametric variations
are caused by the differences of the strength of the features.

My specific questions are:

1. Are there any papers which clearly discuss Japanese and/or English
(contrastive) syntax within minimalist program (which give me firm
theoretical foundations that can be applied into L2 area)?

2. How is the pro-drop parameter and its clustering constructions (if
they cluster) explained /analysed in minimalist program? How are
Japanese null subjects (and/or null objects) analysed concerning this
parameter and its clustering constructions?

I would very much appreciate if you could give me ideas about these.

			Thank you.