LINGUIST List 9.1637

Wed Nov 18 1998

Qs: Linguistics programs, English prepositions

Editor for this issue: Jody Huellmantel <jodylinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. DAVID WHARTON, Small linguistics programs
2. intsar gobara, English prepositions

Dear Linguists,

The linguistics program at my university will be undergoing review
this year, and I'd like to solicit comments from other linguists on
how to make small, interdisciplinary linguistics programs thrive.

Like many universities (I suppose), ours does not have a linguistics
department, but we do offer a linguistics major and minor; our
linguistics program is currently administered by faculty and staff
from various departments such as English, Romance Languages, and
Anthropology.

What I'd like to know is to what extent similar programs at other
colleges and universities have been successful at attracting majors,
maintaining a vital presence in the intellectual life of their
colleges and universities, and -- perhaps most importantly --
garnering the good will and largess of university administrators. If
your program has accomplished any or all of these goals, how did you
do it? That is, what works best? Conversely, what *doesn't* work, and
what kinds of things should such programs avoid?

In particular, I'd like to know the fate of linguistics at colleges
and universities that do not have either a linguistics department or a
linguistics major/minor, but which allow students to study linguistics
as one of those "make-your-own-major" majors which are common in the
United States.

I'll post a summary of responses. If you'd like to respond, but do not
feel you can do so candidly without endangering yourself
professionally, I'll be happy to post anonymous responses, and promise
complete confidentiality to those who desire it.

Many thanks,
David Wharton

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
David Wharton
Department of Classical Studies
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Greensboro, NC USA
e-mail: whartonduncg.edu
tel.: 336 334 5214
fax: 336 334 5158
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

I'm doing a research on the English prepositions 'to' and 'towards',
above and over. I'm interested in the semantic, relational and
pragmatic aspects of these prepositions. I would appreciate any useful
information related to this topic.

Sincerely,
Intisar