emunix.emich.edu>
Editor for this issue: T. Daniel Seely <dseelyemunix.emich.edu>
student.kun.nl, Re: 7.717, Disc: Foreign languages in dreams
sunset.backbone.olemiss.edu>In reference to Joel Hoffman's suggestion that dreams are a-linguistic and that we do not actually use any language in our dreaming interactions: what is going on when people talk in their sleep? Here they are at least speaking their native language. And in reference to William J. de Reuse's theory that what we remember doing in a dream is not necessarily what we were actually doing (we could go much further and say that we are rarely doing what we dreamed we were doing, we're mostly sleeping); yet it would be interesting to study which parts of the brain are actively involved during those dream-periods in which we "remember" having spoken any language. I am interested in the question because I believe that a student can mark his real entry into usable learning of a language by the appearance of the first dream in which he spoke the language easily and well. Such a dream indicates the learner is over the rank beginner stage and into the long middle journey which will end, if ever, when he can understand jokes in the language. I wonder if anybody else has noticed a similar phenomenon or has a idea about what might be happening. Rebecca Larche Moreton <rebelingMail to author|Respond to list|Read more issues|LINGUIST home page|Top of issue
netcom.com>I have also had the experience of dreaming in foreign languages. When I stopped teaching Japanese, I started dreaming in Japanese about once a week. This lasted for 2 years or so, until I started doing Japanese technical translation. Interestingly, the dreams didn't re-occur when I stopped doing translation. More recently, I went to Paris for 10 days to celebrate my birthday, and I dreamt in French *every night*. I dreamt about ordering food, buying groceries, buying my Orange Card, changing trains, and so on. The dreams were rehearsals of stressful situations that might occur. The dreams continued in this fashion for a couple of nights after I got back, but after that, the dreams took place in France, but the language was English. C'est la vie.:) Karen karenkMail to author|Respond to list|Read more issues|LINGUIST home page|Top of issue
student.kun.nl <B.Dielsstudent.kun.nl>Being all but an expert in this field, I hesitate to react to Mr. Hoffman's remark that dreams would be a-linguistic. But as his suggestion is so contrary to my own intuition (which of course must always be listened to, but never be trusted), I would like to join the discussion. If I am right, Mr. Hoffman argues that the existence of dreams in which the dreamer fluently speaks a language he doesn't really master is an indication for the a-linguistic character of dreams. This does not quite convince me. If dreams would be totally a-linguistic, one could dream of speaking any language, but this doesn't seem to be the case: people seem to dream only of speaking languages that they more or less know. I guess that someone who doesn't speak a word of Chinese in real life will never be speaking Chinese in his dreams. When a poor speaker of a certain language dreams of speaking it fluently, we of course must conclude the dream deceives him. But this does not necessarily mean he doesn't speak a word at all in this dream (and therefore, that he dreams the content of the conversation, rather than the words) - it could also mean that this person's judgement of his performance is deceptive. Many who ever woke up at night with a brilliant idea that had to be written down immediately lest it would be lost for ever will have found out the morning after how deceptive nighttime judgements of one's own genius are. I think judgements of one's linguistic capabilities are no exception to this. Bart Diels B.DielsMail to author|Respond to list|Read more issues|LINGUIST home page|Top of issue
OREGON.UOREGON.EDU>Richard Cameron inquires as to the basis of my claim that some Austronesian languages have become OV due to contact with non-Austronesian Papuan languages. While this would require more support if I were to claim this in print, let me just say here that I base this claim on the following six languages: Manam, Wedau, Iduna, Pokau, Motu, and Balawaia. Further inquiries can be sent directly to me. Matthew Dryer Email address until June 15: DRYERMail to author|Respond to list|Read more issues|LINGUIST home page|Top of issue
dragonsys.com>The name of the movie "2001" was universally pronounced "two thousand (and) one", never "twenty oh one"; or has someone else heard the latter? So I expect the years to be called "two thousand", "two thousand (and) one", .... "two thousand (and) nine". (By then the habit should be fairly well set and make the next year "two thousand (and) ten" rather than "twenty ten".) And the obvious generalization over those names is "the two thousands"; so I expect that to be the commonest name for the decade. While it might LOGICALLY be taken to refer to the century 20xx, or even the millennium 2xxx, I think the immediate influences will prevail. If, OTOH, people wind up calling the years "twenty oh one", etc., then the decade should become "the twenty oh's", or even "the twenties". By the time people start referring to the decade as a socially recognizeable period, how often will the 1920's be a common topic? I've sometimes heard the 190x years called "nineteen one", "nineteen two", etc., where I would use and expect "nineteen oh one", .... But that's not practicable for 200x, since "twenty one" means 21. Mark A. Mandel : markMail to author|Respond to list|Read more issues|LINGUIST home page|Top of issue