LINGUIST List 13.1531

Tue May 28 2002

Qs: Irregularity/Kinship Vocabulary, L2 Research

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  • Lise Dobrin, irregularity in kinship vocabulary
  • Rudolf Reinelt, L2 and L3 research

    Message 1: irregularity in kinship vocabulary

     Date: Mon, 27 May 2002 10:31:22 +0000
    From: Lise Dobrin <dobrinvirginia.edu>
    Subject: irregularity in kinship vocabulary


    I'm looking for any references that might help explain the high degree of formal irregularity one tends to find in kinship vocabulary -- unpredictable plurals, marked morphosyntactic behavior, etc. (Some of my colleagues share my intuition that this is the case; others do not. Any comments based on your experience?) The high frequency of this area of the vocabulary doesn't entirely help in the cases I'm most concerned with, since the irregularity in some ways varies inversely with the use of kin terms in address (which ups their frequency dramatically). Renewal of vocabulary in association with linguistic taboos is also relevant but probably insufficiently general to account for the phenomenon which is more widespread. Cultural factors are surely the key but the question is how to convert something like "cultural salience" into lexical irregularity in an explanatory way.

    Thanks, Lise

    Message 2: L2 and L3 research

     Date: Tue, 23 Apr 2002 01:19:05 +0900
    From: Rudolf Reinelt <reineltll.ehime-u.ac.jp>
    Subject: L2 and L3 research


    Dear colleagues,

    Presently we are researching the following problem, mainly from a second foreign language learning point of view (but possibly with ramifications for second language learning too): On the one hand, every language learning is different according to a host of factors science has not been able to grasp fully but is constantly trying to systematize. On the other hand, even the circumstances and factors of learning a third language, for example L3 German, L3 French, L3 Chinese, etc. are comparable. This holds at least for the most important actants, the students who have to make a choice. Thus despite the diversity of students, the languages themselves, the varying teaching methods, materials and circumstances, valid (and financially influential) comparisons are made regularly, especially at the beginning of a term or shortly afterwards, e.g. at Japanese universities after two weeks, when signing in ends. Thus not comparing these learning processes would come to closing the eyes before the difficulties of reality.

    Here is my question Do you know of any studies, where third or other foreign language learning of different languages e.g. on the same institutional� level has been compared, e.g. as regards ease, progress, etc.

    Any hints would be welcome. I post a summary of the results �

    Rudolf Reinelt, Universitaet Ehime, Lit.- jur. Fakultaet, Abteilung fuer Humanwissenschaften Ehime University, Fac. of Law & Letters, Dept. of Humanities Bunkyo-cho 3, Matsuyama 790-8577 JAPAN

    Tel& Fax (W) -81-89-927-9359 E-mail: reineltll.ehime-u.ac.jpreineltiname.com JALT OLE affiliate SIG Coordinator, CAJ Chuugoku/Shikoku Chapter Coordinator

    Auf Wiedersehen bei �