LINGUIST List 8.476

Mon Apr 7 1997

FYI: Motor theory, Conf list, Online course

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

Directory

Roy F. Cochrun, Language Conference List Update

alan harris, Re: Online Course Offering: Communication and Technology

Message 1: Motor theory animations

Date: Thu, 3 Apr 1997 09:49:45 +0100
From: Robin Allott <RMAllottpercep.demon.co.uk>
Subject: Motor theory animations

The motor theory of language origin and function proposes that language evolved as an exaptation of the complex organisation of the cerebral motor control system. The practical significance of this is that there must be a close relation between movement patterning and speech patterning (an idea to some extent related to the concepts of articulatory phonology developed by Browman and Goldstein at the Haskins Laboratories). This fits in with the ideas of David McNeill and Adam Kendon on the systematic relation between gesture and language. It also leads to the rejection of the essentially gradualistic account of language evolution presented by Steven Pinker in The Language Instinct.

More specifically the motor theory proposes that speech sounds are the product of elementary motor programs (particularly for controlling hand and arm movements) applied to the articulatory system and that corresponding to a specific set of arm movements there are specific sets of speech sounds. With the advances made in the sophistication of Internet browsers it is now possible to display these relationships on the WorldWideWeb. The WWW page at

http://www.percep.demon.co.uk/mappfol.htm

presents graphic animated illustrations of the arm movement/speech sound relationships and the way combinations of speech sounds when translated into the corresponding movements produce gestures clearly related to the meanings of the words listed. The relationships are similar across most languages and are shown in this instance for English, French and Japanese. An appropriate browser is needed to see the animations - Microsoft Explorer works well but not certain about other browsers.

Robin Allott email: RMAllottpercep.demon.co.uk http://www.percep.demon.co.uk tel/fax: +44 1323 492300

Message 2: Language Conference List Update

Date: Sun, 6 Apr 1997 09:22:46 -0400 (EDT)
From: Roy F. Cochrun <royfcochclark.net>
Subject: Language Conference List Update

The language conference list located on the WWW at URL http://www.clark.net/pub/royfc/confer.html has been updated with over 80 new conferences and about 2 dozen other changes since the February 1997 edition.

The list includes conferences for anyone interested in any aspect of natural language: linguists, translators, interpreters, teachers of languages (even one's own native language to native speakers, such as English in American high schools), those who are involved in natural language processing, et al.

I am thinking of moving to a Frames listing and would appreciate comments from those who could view them: Would you like them, how should they look? (Those users of the list who do not have Frames-capable browsers need not worry. There still will be a version of the list as it now appears. Please email with your thoughts on Frames.

As usual, changes, updates, corrections or comments via email to royfcochclark.net, please.

--Roy Cochrun Roy's Russian Resource: http://www.clark.net/pub/royfc/roy1page.html Language Conferences: http://www.clark.net/pub/royfc/confer.html

Message 3: Re: Online Course Offering: Communication and Technology

Date: Wed, 2 Apr 1997 01:33:36 -0800 (PST)
From: alan harris <vcspc005email.csun.edu>
Subject: Re: Online Course Offering: Communication and Technology

| Communication and Technology | =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- An Online Course offered through the Department of Speech Communication at California State University, Northridge, Summer 1997. Course Description: ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ Politicians, corporate media spokespersons, and scholars alike have joined in the chorus pronouncing the information age the final revolution in human social, political, and economic institutions. As we enter the twenty-first century, we are bombarded with the discourse of "cyberspace," "virtual reality," the "information superhighway," "electronic communities," etc., but the media offer little in the way of a frame of reference from which to evaluate the various claims being made about these developments in communication technology. In spite of all the "hype," or perhaps because of it, a field of truly critical scholarly perspectives on technological change has emerged in speech communication research. This course will introduce students to this scholarship as a field of study, attempting to make sense of the technological revolution from a critical perspective that is both historically informed and technologically astute. This course should be of value to students interested in critical approaches to communication technology, to people working with the internet who would like to more fully comprehend the effects of technological changes on communication and culture, and to anyone else interested in the intersections of technology, politics, and social change. Interested students may look at previous course syllabi on the WWW at <http://www.csun.edu/~hfspc002/454/>;.

Course Format: ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~

This course will be presented using the internet, World Wide Web, and electronic mail. Course material and presentations will be entirely on-line. The course will be highly interactive and participants will interact with one another and with the instructor on line to complete assignments, discuss course materials, and solve problems. The course will be completely virtual, requiring no travel to a meeting site. Instructions for participation in the course will be initially sent out over email, and lectures and presentations will be made available on the World Wide Web. Student participation in the course will be incorporated into the evolving web site for the course, which will be located at <http://speech.csun.edu/class/454/>;.

Required Technical Equipment and Skills: ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~ Participants in this course will need to have or have regular access to a Macintosh or PC personal computer (486 or faster) with at least 14.4 or greater modem connection and reliable internet service connection. A minimum of 10 megabytes of free disk space on the hard drive is suggested and a least 8 megabytes (16 is recommended) of random access memory (RAM). Software requirements are communication software (TCP-IP) to access the Internet, a Web browser (such as Netscape or Lynx), an Electronic mail client (such as Eudora or Pine), and a Telnet or MOO client (such as Telnet). Additional shareware programs may be provided via downloads. Participants will be expected to have the computer skills necessary to use electronic mail, the Internet, and the World Wide Web.

Credits: 3 semester credit hours Cost: $405 Time and dates: Summer 1997: July 7 - August 1 Realtime Meeting Times: Tues. and Thurs. 2-5 PM

Instructor: Ben Attias, Assistant Professor, Department of Speech Communication, in the College of Arts, Media, and Communication at California State University, Northridge. Professor Attias holds a baccalaureate in Speech from Northwestern University, and is currently completing his Doctorate in Communication Studies from the University of Iowa. He has been "online" for about ten years, and has extensively used Internet resources in teaching and research at the California State University, Northridge. He is currently the System Operator for the Internet Server in the Department of Speech Communication, the Faculty Supervisor of the University's Virtual Classroom at the Learning Resource Center, and the Coordinator of Internet Technology Workshops for Faculty and Students at the Learning Resource Center. His online vitae can be browsed on the WWW at <http://speech.csun.edu/ben/vita.97.html>;. For further information: Contact CSUN at (818) 677-2786 or email Ben Attias at hfspc002email.csun.edu