LINGUIST List 9.221

Sat Feb 14 1998

Qs: ASL as L2, Horn-honking, Tobacco Ads.

Editor for this issue: Anita Huang <anitalinguistlist.org>



We'd like to remind readers that the responses to queries are usually best posted to the individual asking the question. That individual is then strongly encouraged to post a summary to the list. This policy was instituted to help control the huge volume of mail on LINGUIST; so we would appreciate your cooperating with it whenever it seems appropriate.

Directory

  • Megan Elizabeth Melancon, Re: ASL as L2
  • Prof. R.M. Chandler-Burns, horn-honking & door-knocking
  • Andrew Hayes, research about the language of tobacco advertising

    Message 1: Re: ASL as L2

     Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 11:40:14 -0600 (CST)
    From: Megan Elizabeth Melancon <mmelan2tiger.lsu.edu>
    Subject: Re: ASL as L2


    Dear Linguists, As an addendum to my original query about ASL, I should make it clear that I am referring to an American child living in the States and going to school in the States, but who happens to have parents who speak little or no English.

    Megan Melancon

    Message 2: horn-honking & door-knocking

     Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 00:44:15 -0500 (EST)
    From: Prof. R.M. Chandler-Burns <rchandlrccr.dsi.uanl.mx>
    Subject: horn-honking & door-knocking


    I don't know if anyone has done a serious cross-culture study of communication using doorbells, knocking on doors, beeping car horns to announce one's arrival and to insult someone; however, I would like to know if such has been carried out in other cultures besides the Mexico-USA environment.

    In Mexico the sequence da-dada-da-da, da-da (corresponding to the sound of "Shave and a haircut, six bits!" in the U.S) can provoke fights and even death due to the horn-doorknock sequence being charged with extreme emotion and aggression, demanding immediate retaliation because of its meaning 'Go [the "f" word] yourself and your mother!' While in the US it has only the meaning or purpose of expressing excitement at visiting a house, knocking on the door with the sequence or even singing it outloud; arriving by car and honking the horn to the same pattern, expresses the same sentiment.

    There are cases where people who live in the two cultures (US-Mexico) at the same time but learn only the former use for such horn honking or door knocking and employ it on their arrival with relatives, friends or acquaintances this sequence as an announcement of happiness to visit them, only to be met by a stream of coprolalia from the occupant(s) of the house until the latter discover the visitors are relatives, friends not foes. Learning the other meaning is immediate and unforgettable. The invasion of lanes by cars into the path of another is not an infrequent cause of violence and death after the 'da-dada-da-da, da-da' of the offended driver is given and gunfire is exchanged.

    Does this horn-honking/doorbell/door-knock phenomenon occur in other cultures? What should we call this kind of language-culture use of the horn, the doorbell, the door-knock that is unknowingly or knowingly aggressive? Would there be a technical or forensic term that could be used to do a further search?

    R. M. Chandler-Burns Medical College Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon Monterrey, MEXICO <rchandlrccr.dsi.uanl.mx>

    Message 3: research about the language of tobacco advertising

     Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 12:39:34 +0100
    From: Andrew Hayes <hayesglobalink.org>
    Subject: research about the language of tobacco advertising


    Dear collegue, I am doing a research about tobacco advertising adressed to young people for the international union agaist cancer in Brussels. The aim of this research is to underline the persusive strategies employed by tobacco ads to persuade young people to smoke and will follow a discourse analysis approach as in Kress, Hodge, Van Djik, Myers, Cook and so on. I will therefore analyze a corpus of about 100 newspapers all over Europe. This research will support the campaign for banning tobacco ads in Europe.

    Hope You can give me some suggetsions about bibliography resourses and libraries in which I could better find literature about this topic. Suggetions about statistical methods are also welcome.

    Regards,

    Dr. Maria Consiglia Mosella Andrew J. Hayes UICC / ECL EU Liaison Office, Brussels e-mail : hayesglobalink.org Tel (32) 2 230.20.27. Fax (32) 2 231.18.58.