LINGUIST List 7.677

Fri May 10 1996

Qs: Influence of English, Pragmatics, IE list, ESL Survey

Editor for this issue: Annemarie Valdez <avaldezemunix.emich.edu>

Directory

1. Stephane, Influence of English
2. Debra Aarons, literary pragmatics
3. Rick Mc Callister, Demise of the IE list
4. "Parma A. O'Bar", U.S. REGIONAL DIALECT SURVEY

I am doing a research project on the attitudes of French speakers to
the influx of English vocabulary on the language: is it a necessity,
is it a danger, should it be prevented etc. etc. etc. I should be very
interested to compare the attitude of the French and that of other
linguistic communities, of all languages, so this is a general
plea. If your native tongue is not English, or if you know a
non-English speaking society/culture very well, I should be grateful
for any thoughts you might have on the matter. Do your compatriots, on
the whole, attempt to stem the flow of English, or is it open house?
How much is any attempt to reduce anglicisms tied up with concerns
about Anglo-Saxon cultural hegemony (movies, Internet etc.)? Is there
a difference between generations in this respect? Thanks for any
information you could supply

I have been asked to assemble a reading list on literary pragmatics. As
this is by no means my field, I am at a loss about where to start. I would
really be appreciative if anyone could help me out with suggestions.
Please post either to the list or to me personally (at the email address
below). I will post the summary, in any event. Many thanks in advance.

Debra Aarons
Dept. of General Linguistics
University of Stellenbosch
South Africa



Debra Aarons
Work e-mail: DAmaties.sun.ac.za

The owner of the Indo-European list or List for "Historical and comparative
linguistics of Indo-European Languages" <INDOEUROPEAN-Lcornell.edu> has
decided to close up shop. There is a definite need for such a list. I'm
wondering if there are any qualified listers who'd like to take up the
challenge of moderating a new IE list.

Dear Linguists,

I am working on a project for my Language in Society course in the
MA-TESOL program at Seattle University. As part of this project, I am
distributing this survey to find out what kind of challenges ESL (English
as a Second Language) college and university students face when they
first come to the U.S in regards to understanding and using regional
dialects (grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary). If you work with ESL
students in the U.S., I would be very grateful if you would take a few
moments to respond to the following survey. Thank you very much.
			SURVEY QUESTIONS
1. In which city and state do you teach ESL?
2. Which countries do your students come from?
3. Do you feel that there is grammar particular to your region? Please
 cite sentence examples.
4. Do you feel that there is pronunication particular to your region?
 Please cite phonetic examples.
5. Do you feel that there is vocabulary particular to your region? Please
 cite words and brief definitions.
6. Do you purposely teach any area of your region's dialect? How so?
7. Do your students acquire your region's dialect or "standardized" English?
8. What is the greatest challenge your students face with regard to language
 acquisition in general?

Thank you very much for your time and consideration. Please post
responses to me at the address below, and I will compile them for the LIST.

Parma O'Bar
parmaseattleu.edu

Seattle, Washington USA