LINGUIST List 8.1664

Thu Nov 20 1997

Qs: whachamacallit,Serbo-Croatian,Book,Cognition

Editor for this issue: Elaine Halleck <elainelinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. dave gough, whachamacallit?
2. orenthalinnocent.com, Serbo-Croatian
3. Radu Daniliuc, Books request
4. Michael Kliffer, spoken/written cognitive differences

I've been looking at 'forget phrases' such as 'whachamacallit' and 
'whatsisname'. I'm interested in 

* any previous research on such phrases 
(including the obvious fact that they have become 'conventionalised' 
- with associated phonological etc processes).

*standard spelling conventions of these items

*'first mentions' of these items (are they in OED??) 

*similar phrases in British, American and other varieties of English

*similar phrases in other languages. In Xhosa (Bantu) for instance, 
the equivalent expression is 'nantsika' which seems to be derived 
from 'nantsi' (here it is) + ka (a form whose meaning appears to be 
lost to time). 

I hope to get uh thingmujig uh responses.

(Prof) Dave Gough
Department of Linguisitcs
University of Western Cape
Bellville
South Africas

dgoughartsn.uwc.ac.za

+27 21 9592978

I am looking for information on the history and development of
Serbo-Croatian for a project I'm doing for my Language and Society class
at Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne. Does anyone know of any good sources,
espically scholarly journals? Thanks a lot.

Carrie Kauzlarich
orenthalinnocent.com

(If this is a repost, I apologize. I don't believe my first message got
posted to the list.)

As an answer for my former request about the verb TO BE in English
varieties (as the answers were few,I am still looking for help about the
forms and uses of TO BE in English varieties) , I received these titles
which I cannot find in my country:

1.Ferguson,Charles A. 1971. "ABSENCE OF COPULA AND THE NOTION OF
SIMPLICITY:A STUDY OF NORMAL SPEECH,BABY TALK,FOREIGNER TALK,AND PIDGINS"
In D.Hymes,ed. Pidginization and creolization of languages. Cambridge U.
Press

2.Winford,Donald 1993 "PREDICATION IN CARIBBEAN ENGLISH
CREOLE",Amsterdam/Philadelphia:John Benjamins

If anyone happens to have at least one of these books,I plead that person
to make a copy for me and to send it at the mail address below the e-mail
one.

I also want to send my greetings to :

Mikael Parkvall,Stockholm 
Dr Peter K W Tan,Singapore
Michelle Fox

who answered to my former request. Thank you very,very much.




Radu Daniliuc
srdanassist.cccis.ro

Ana Ipatescu 10,A,A,9
Suceava 5800,ROMANIA

I would appreciate references or other info. on cognitive
differences between learning spoken and written language. I
understand that the principles underlying oral competence are
thought to be very different in kind and localization from those
behind written competence and that there is some correlation
with teaching approaches, i.e. the whole-language
(communicative) method is the best cognitive match for oral
learning and the grammar-translation method is best suited to
the learning of writing skills. Any info. confirming or refuting
these hypotheses, or detailing other theories, will be welcome.

Thanks
Mike

- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael D. Kliffer Phone: 905-525-9140, ext. 23748
Department of French E-Mail: kliffermcmaster.ca
McMaster University
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
L8S 4M2
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------