LINGUIST List 9.1383

Tue Oct 6 1998

Qs: Wh-movement, Lang anecdotes, Online lang course

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

Directory

1. Gisbert Fanselow, History of wh-movement
2. Gert Webelhuth, Is there a collection of stupid things said publicly about language?
3. Sabine Siekmann, Online Language Courses

Does anybody know anything about the following questions:

a. how does a language acquire a rule of obligatory fronting of
 wh-phrases
b. how does a language lose such a rule?

If I get interesting replies, a summary will be posted.

Thanks

Gisbert Fanselow
fanselowrz.uni-potsdam.de
Gisbert Fanselow
Motto: 
Linguist - tough job, but someone's gotta do it. 

Address: 
Linguistics Department
University of Potsdam 
P.O. Box 601553 
D-14415 Potsdam 
Germany
Fon: x49-331-977-2446
Fax: x49-331-977-2761
URL: http://www.ling.uni-potsdam.de/~fanselow/

There was a silly syndicated column by James Kilpatrick in our newspaper
today ("When a suffix won't suffice any more", Raleigh News & Observer,
10/05/98), that laments the decline and going out of use of the English
"feminine suffixes" -ess, -ette, and -ix. That makes me wonder whether a
collection of stupid or uninformed public statements about language exists
somewhere in book form or whether some of you may have a private collection
of such things they would be willing to share.This would make great
discussion material for an Intro to Linguistics class.

Thank you very much for any leads you can give!

Gert Webelhuth









- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gert Webelhuth
Associate Professor of Linguistics, Department of Linguistics,
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill,
NC 27599-3155
http://www.unc.edu/~webelhut

I HAVE A NEW EMAIL ADDRESS. MAIL SENT TO ANY
OTHER ADDRESS MAY NOT REACH ME!!!

webelhutmindspring.com (drop final "h" of my last name!)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The system trains people to be purchasers manipulated by hip,
in and out, hot and not hot.." Joni Mitchell

Hello Fellow Linguists,

For my thesis I am developing a supplemental online course for a German
class. I am using WebCT and mainly provide them with an opportunity to
practice grammar, find out cultural information about Germany and do
online discussion and chat. 

I would like to get into contact with people who are working on similar
projects (could be other languages or classes that are taught entirely
online). I would also like to get in touch with people who can point me
in the right direction to find background information on such projects.

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated,

Sabine Siekmann