LINGUIST List 8.854

Tue Jun 10 1997

Qs: Frequency, Kin terms, Indo-European

Editor for this issue: Ann Dizdar <annlinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. janine graziano-king, Frequency analysis of English words
2. Oesten Dahl, Query - kin terms
3. Dick_Watson, QUERY - Indo-European

I'd like to post the following question on the list:

I'm looking for a frequency analysis of English words. I am familiar with
the Kucera & Francis corpus, but am wondering if anyone knows of a simlar
analysis based on spoken English and/or child written material. Thanks.
Janine Graziano-King

- ----
Kin terms

My colleague Masja Koptjevskaja Tamm and I are looking at
differentiated behavior of kin terms - that is, we are interested in
cases where, say, " my father" is not expressed the same way as "my
cousin". We are also interested in the behaviour of doublets like
"mother" and "mama".

We would therefore be grateful for the following information (partial
or complete) regarding any human language:

1. Are there any differences between kin terms with respect to use of
articles and possessive pronouns/affixes?
	More precisely: definite articles and/or possessive markers
may be obligatory with some kin terms and optional (or even
impossible) with others. Some kin terms may take affixed possessive
markers while others take free pronouns. A certain word order may be
possible only with certai= n kin terms etc. 

2. What kin terms have a
reduplicative phonological pattern like "mama" a= nd "papa"? 

3. Which kin relations are expressed by doublets like "father" and
"daddy "?

4. What kin terms can be used
	(a) in lieu of 2nd person pronouns ("would father like to 
have some coffee?");
	(b) in vocative function ("where are you, mother?")
	(c) as titles followed by a proper name ("aunt Agatha")

Bibliographical information is also welcome.

Send your answers to oestenling.su.se.



=D6sten Dahl

A friend here in Nairobi is doing research on Greek derivation and is
in need of a good Indo-European dictionary and a grammar. We would
appreciate if some of the Indo-Europeanists out there would let us
know what you recommend. If you could give some idea of price, it
would greatly expedite his ordering.

I will be happy to put a summary of the results out.

Thank you, <Dick_Watsonsil.org>