LINGUIST List 8.1571

Fri Oct 31 1997

FYI: New York LSA jam, Help the LSA Outreach Program

Editor for this issue: Brett Churchill <brettlinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Daniel L. Everett, Jamming at New York LSA?
2. Linguistics, Help the LSA Outreach Program

Folks,

Each of the last three LSAs (New Orleans, San Diego, and Chicago), a 
couple of us have lugged our guitars, drums, recorders, fiddles, and 
harmonicas to the LSA to do some playing and singing together. 

If you are interested in playing some blues, bluegrass, country, rock,
folk, Tom Waits (he is his own category), or other kinda music, let me
know. I will try to find space at the Hyatt for us to Jam. Saturday nights
early seem to work best. Then music-makers can leave to go to see the
bright lights. 

- Dan


******************************
******************************

Daniel L. Everett
Department of Linguistics
University of Pittsburgh
2816 CL
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Phone: 412-624-8101; Fax: 412-624-6130
http://verb.linguist.pitt.edu/~dever

Subject: Help the LSA Outreach Program

SEND US QUESTIONS ABOUT LANGUAGE THAT PEOPLE (Students, Colleagues,
Friends, Family) HAVE ASKED YOU.	

Dear Linguists,

I'm Nancy De Pas, a Linguistics Ph.D. student at CUNY. The Linguistic
Society of America has a project as part of their outreach initiative to
make known to the general public what linguistics is and how it can be
useful to people in business and their daily lives (see below for more
details).

WE NEED TO FIND OUT: What people want to know about language.

THEN: 	We will ask appropriate linguists to supply the answers (insofar
	as they are known) in a simple and concise form. 

PLEASE SEND: Any and all questions about language (not about linguistics)
	that you have been asked by your students, colleagues, friends, and
	family.

DISTRIBUTION: In brochures, in doctors offices, schools, computer fairs,
	and community
	 centers available from the LSA.

Your help is greatly appreciated.

Nancy De Pas
linguistemail.gc.cuny.edu

ADDENDUM
The LSA's web page http://www.lsadc.org has a link to a document called
"The Field of Linguistics" which explains how linguists study language and
presents some of the results of recent research. This is geared more to
students of linguistics than to the general public. We would like to
publicize linguistics using a more direct approach and in the same time be
responsive to the needs of non-linguists without necessarily explaining
linguistics to them. 

We would like to answer some of those "frequently asked questions" by
non-linguists in a straightforward, simplified but clear manner and make
these responses readily available to them. The LSA envisions cards, 3 by
7 inches possibly, containing the question with a three paragraph answer
with references and further services on the back. Packages of language
cards would be distributed to schools, doctors offices and community
centers, free of charge I hope.

This is an attempt to demonstrate to the general public the usefulness and
relevance of linguistics in many aspects of life. In the future, this
project hopes to benefit linguists and future linguists by fostering
positive attitudes and public awareness about what our field is about
which will eventually lead to a better public image and better job
opportunities.