tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331591582024-03-12T04:20:47.685-05:00Mr. Verb<center>Language changes. <br>
Deal with it. <br>
Revel in it.</center>Mr. Verbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.comBlogger1577125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-20122411931270663462017-05-29T14:29:00.000-05:002017-05-29T14:29:01.356-05:00You've been warned, interwebs ...What you thought was the cold lifeless corpus of Mr. Verb may be twitching again ... stay tuned.<br />
<br />
Bwahahaha.Mr. Verbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-82642755902197950762016-04-03T13:20:00.000-05:002016-04-24T22:16:26.533-05:00Ignorance, appropriation, and exoticization... all wrapped up in one nice package in this morning's <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/03/arts/music/vanishing-languages-reincarnated-as-music.html?_r=0" target="_blank">New York Times</a>!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXY-2KPYUp6RINJnHFhqvuw5dpAUuyOe5xD0ILKIKXChdDaM_L7iPyZ6vTPi76JhNoKq7TynjtgImI9GeT6evruNGRQ3XmgfqkYd7lAV0FXdpz6cWsd-Y9EwJHiV0rnXWedIcvw/s1600/03LANGUAGE3-articleLarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXY-2KPYUp6RINJnHFhqvuw5dpAUuyOe5xD0ILKIKXChdDaM_L7iPyZ6vTPi76JhNoKq7TynjtgImI9GeT6evruNGRQ3XmgfqkYd7lAV0FXdpz6cWsd-Y9EwJHiV0rnXWedIcvw/s200/03LANGUAGE3-articleLarge.jpg" width="200" /></a>It's a little hard to know where to start. Well, let's start with ignorance. The media <i>never</i> gets stuff about language right, so that's no surprise. And in some places it's hard to tell whether it's the journalist or the musician who's saying something stupid (it'd be nice to live in a world where journalists were smart about language but alas). Here's a nice quote:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The last vestiges of some minority languages are preserved as song, and a musical ear can be an advantage in studying the kind of tonal languages prevalent in parts of Asia.</blockquote>
Non sequitur much?<br />
<br />
Appropriation just runs through everything these musicians say. The most explicit is a quote from Vivian Fung (who the journalist helpfully tells us is a Canadian):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"It's about finding the parts of the research [on minority languages in China] that speak to me ... and filtering it so that it becomes mine."</blockquote>
Oh Ms. Fung, please take Anthropology 101.<br />
<br />
And taking a recording of Ishi and setting it to piano? Maybe read up on Ishi's story. Maybe read up on what happened to his brain. When I teach about Ishi, all the students are horrified at how he was made into a living museum exhibit. Now, about a century later, he continues to be exploited. <br />
<br />
I'm also just so tired of reading things like "these enigmatic utterances" - enigmatic? Oooh, enigmatic and mysterious and inscrutable.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"A work like Mr. James's 'Counting in Quileute' ... is like a time capsule shot into space - except the meaning was already opaque at the time of its sealing." </blockquote>
I wonder what the Quileutes would have to say about that?<br />
<br />
They do give about a paragraph and a half to Greg Anderson's concerns about the ethics of all this, but the composers' responses are supposed to put our minds at ease.<br />
<br />
Maybe this is all sour grapes because of the opening paragraph that says:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
For the most part, ethnographers and linguists are helpless in the face of the gradual erasure of collective memory that goes along with this loss of linguistic diversity.</blockquote>
That actually raises some complex issues. Calling us helpless implies that we think (or someone thinks) we should have some control but we don't. The reality is that many of us have learned the humbling lesson that language loss or language retention is not up to us; it's up to the people who really do have a claim to these languages - the communities where they're spoken. And I'm not saying we're perfect. I know I've made my share of blunders along these lines. But at least I'm trying to learn to be respectful.<br />
<br />Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061307431754428801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-49600456145605945742015-08-11T23:58:00.001-05:002015-08-11T23:58:07.829-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicduqVSeaVVrWEQj218RQ4lhu8WIcc5Ms4SWolCx4ccEXdcxmZzkhMpxL7CDeQiGxJEvCXmSj4UxNRf__z4O5HBKf0tVIdvzTDdVmxNPO-kkKIlojHstCUIFtN84zngBhcTqHlTg/s1600/acorn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicduqVSeaVVrWEQj218RQ4lhu8WIcc5Ms4SWolCx4ccEXdcxmZzkhMpxL7CDeQiGxJEvCXmSj4UxNRf__z4O5HBKf0tVIdvzTDdVmxNPO-kkKIlojHstCUIFtN84zngBhcTqHlTg/s200/acorn.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span data-offset-key="mgl8-0-0" data-reactid=".7d.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$mgl8.0:$mgl8-0-0"><span data-reactid=".7d.1.0.1.0.0.$editor0.0.0.$mgl8.0:$mgl8-0-0.0">This was fun (well, for a language nerd, anyway). I spotted this eggcorn in an article about Wisconsin's education-destroying governor: "... or who serve at the leisure of these appointees." I was really baffled because that only works as an eggcorn if you pronounce "leisure" to rhyme with "pleasure" - and what American does??? Surely an article about Scotty-boy Walker has to be written by an American? Then I scrolled up and noticed that it was in the US Edition of The Guardian. How funny that I went through that whole train of thought based on an assumption about the dialect of the writers. (BTW, 5,020 results for "serve at the leisure of" on google.)</span></span>Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061307431754428801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-234877210812190242015-08-11T07:52:00.002-05:002015-08-11T08:00:16.419-05:00Language Capital ProjectSome of the Wisconsin Englishes folks have talked off and on about doing maps of 'linguistic resources' in communities, figuring out where different languages are used in businesses and community organizations, for instance. Turns out that Tucson is ahead of Wisconsin ... the <a href="https://languagecapitalproject.wordpress.com/">Language Capital Project </a>has started mapping businesses where various languages from all around the world are spoken. Tucson is a great place to do this since it is not just a university town and a place with a large immigrant population, but it's also a place that has become home to significant numbers of refugees.<br />
<br />
Wonderful project and, I trust, an inspiration and a model to the Wisconsin Englishes folks!Mr. Verbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-63412498587938060522015-06-23T09:21:00.001-05:002015-06-23T09:21:18.222-05:00LSA speaks up for tenure and academic freedom at the University of WisconsinSubject line pretty much says it all. See <a href="http://www.linguisticsociety.org/news/2015/06/22/lsa-endorses-aha-letter-defense-wisconsin-tenure-and-academic-freedom">here</a>.Mr. Verbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-28812193577860733372015-06-19T11:29:00.000-05:002015-06-19T11:29:05.304-05:00UW: Should I stay or should I go?There’s a lot of talk now about UW faculty being poached or just looking to flee the state. The following is a real letter from a senior faculty member at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. I have been saying that the first real question for faculty now is whether to run or to fight. Below is that person’s decision. With all the talk of people leaving under present circumstances, it’s a reminder that there’s another option.<br />
<br />
This faculty member had been repeatedly invited last year to apply for a position that was pretty much ideal for them, a situation with serious new resources at an excellent institution with real chances to build something big and lasting. They had resisted but eventually decided that the opportunity to do something important for their field was very real and that the prospects for real innovation at Madison were deteriorating rapidly. So they applied. The application was moving to the very serious stages of the hiring process, but the person says “when the JFC omnibus came out, everything changed. I had to think about this anew, from the beginning”. The letter went out a couple days ago.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Dear -----, dear ------, dear ------,<br />
After two weeks of soul searching, I am writing now to tell you that I’ve decided that I must withdraw from consideration for appointment to the position of Chair in ---------- at ---------- University. Having served on many search committees, I know how much time and effort goes into scrutinizing candidates, and apologize for having put the committee through this extra work. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
As I said several times during the process, I have not applied for a job in many years, nor even seriously considered applying for one. The decision to apply for this position reflected the amazing possibilities the position represents. It’s a set of opportunities and challenges I would dearly love to tackle. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_APq16HXGPTwJXdv1Kf6tytalaJwgra7BXNYrNfUMmJcj_ME5HjT4jYUhBqXYMyoJ7QB0j9J_HT1B7tBjIbjbn7hMWAiF4AAC0u0x2Wz49rzLKBgFYb9nMYKuwS4w8ELfeFv1-A/s1600/115276088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_APq16HXGPTwJXdv1Kf6tytalaJwgra7BXNYrNfUMmJcj_ME5HjT4jYUhBqXYMyoJ7QB0j9J_HT1B7tBjIbjbn7hMWAiF4AAC0u0x2Wz49rzLKBgFYb9nMYKuwS4w8ELfeFv1-A/s200/115276088.jpg" width="200" /></a>
In ways I could not have expected when I applied or even when I spoke most recently with ----------, my professional circumstances have changed very suddenly and right now I simply cannot abandon the University of Wisconsin. Our budget has been slashed year after year and I knew that those cuts would continue apace this year and next. But the state legislature has now proposed to eliminate tenure protections and our tradition of shared governance. I had earlier reached a decision that I could continue to work with my graduate students and continue collaborations here from afar, but we now face a serious, long-term battle for the future of a great institution and the future of higher education in this state. I’ve invested too much in and owe too much to this institution, my students and people here at early career stages to simply walk away at this juncture. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The position at ---------- is an exciting and important one for a set of areas in our field and I’m honored to have been considered so seriously for it. I know that there are outstanding candidates and I look forward to collaborating with the person who ultimately takes the position. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
With my apologies and wishes for a successful hire,<br />
Yours,</blockquote>
This person has a message for faculty as well:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I struggled personally with this decision, but this is a national fight. If Wisconsin goes, you know that other states will follow. Way back when, I thought moving to Wisconsin meant moving to a politically stable, secure place. Nowhere is safe now. So whether you stay or go, you have to engage. As public higher education is being systematically destroyed, tenured and tenure-track faculty are still among the most privileged and best protected. You have to fight for your own interests, but you better also be fighting for the staff who make your job possible and the students up to their eyeballs in debt. We’re in this together and we win together or lose together.</blockquote>
Just fyi.<br />
Mr. VerbMr. Verbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-13311092089014220142015-06-16T12:52:00.000-05:002015-06-17T19:06:36.742-05:00Open attack on academic freedom and free speech Look at <a href="http://www.wisn.com/politics/upfront/fitzgerald-tenure-change-wont-be-reversed/33566234">this clip</a> of an interview with Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald. The host, Mike Gousha, asks specifically about tenure, "why do changes need to be made?" Starting around 2:00, Fitzgerald responds with this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The idea that anybody should be protected from any kind of criticism when they make public comments or even the way they handle themselves on campus is just not sitting well with many of us. </blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCC395R9cIvb76Sp5Uc1Scwc5z2Wgv4_S6i6c0qqlg-3UPWT0zfGSF-qMNcjDfzj7jkIM3sInT7x8wYk03G7-i5h6V2f_Ah1gGIQmFx-etdLqTAafrqiKrJHexkKCrd3r1KJnenA/s1600/Trump+You%2527re+Fired_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCC395R9cIvb76Sp5Uc1Scwc5z2Wgv4_S6i6c0qqlg-3UPWT0zfGSF-qMNcjDfzj7jkIM3sInT7x8wYk03G7-i5h6V2f_Ah1gGIQmFx-etdLqTAafrqiKrJHexkKCrd3r1KJnenA/s1600/Trump+You%2527re+Fired_1.jpg" /></a>He shortly thereafter comes back around to talk about <b>professors</b> being "completely protected", in case you found "anybody" ambiguous.<br />
<br />
Now, tenure is not about criticism that I can see and faculty are hardly protected from criticism (see below or, my god, read a newspaper). What we are protected from is being fired for doing legitimate research or speaking our minds. That's surely what he means.<br />
<br />
And you <b>do</b> know that there's already political consequences for people doing normal research, including firing and public calls for firing: (1) firing<a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/scientists-targeted-for-cuts-have-studied-hot-button-issues-b99515618z1-306538641.html"> a bunch of scientists</a> from the Department of Natural Resources who had worked on politically charged issues and (2) a sitting state senator making scathing attacks on<a href="http://www.isthmus.com/news/news/republican-calls-uw-research-on-right-to-work-partisan-garbage/"> a professor </a>because of his research.<br />
<br />
The house is on fire, folks.<br />
<br />
<br />
Image in recognition of Donald Trump announcement that he's running for president. In case the news wasn't insane enough for you yet.Mr. Verbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-38476438973416409622015-06-10T07:43:00.000-05:002015-06-10T07:43:06.245-05:00Zapf and linguisticsHermann Zapf has passed away. The <i>NYT</i> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/10/arts/design/hermann-zapf-96-dies-designer-whose-letters-are-found-everywhere.html">obit</a> has a good sketch of his life and work, including designing Palatino and Optima fonts. In linguistics, he has a special place because his Dingbats font provided a face, so to speak, for Optimality Theory (along with Wingdings). Below is a tableau from a <a href="http://roa.rutgers.edu/files/252-0398/roa-252-mccarthy-1.pdf">paper</a> by McCarthy using several Zapf symbols.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxI6Xuif_oD2HI2qnsXkR7LWL8MTW18XoHlez_QsKUD3pO6jI-XrNMbts8ev5y8EKVW1UJf3mwWDPO5IUSTlMrRD7tr_CS3zGoqd4BowgeZzLuW-4ShxnrMa7cZdfRZCzrGHiZQ/s1600/zapf-ot.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxI6Xuif_oD2HI2qnsXkR7LWL8MTW18XoHlez_QsKUD3pO6jI-XrNMbts8ev5y8EKVW1UJf3mwWDPO5IUSTlMrRD7tr_CS3zGoqd4BowgeZzLuW-4ShxnrMa7cZdfRZCzrGHiZQ/s400/zapf-ot.tiff" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The pointing hand (rightward) is the winning candidate, the 'flower' represents the sympathy candidate, etc. Even the checkmark in the last line is, I think, a Dingbat symbol. The old bomb with a lit fuse was Wingdings, and the oft-used skull and crossbones too, I think ... Zapf was happy stuff and Wingdings the unhappy, maybe, though some people definitely used Wingdings pointing fingers. Ahhhh, those were days.*<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNKsFeQ0U1YffOn4EqV28iNao5v601mKnz4kckHdDgWYZVKLi4_d7zMlsuKuDi3ddh-BLyYC85sByC7UNkQTbxpVCkTWE0m9SmXNhNjRw9vVNizQftZeRf5waKFUu14Ik5-efIFg/s1600/bomb.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNKsFeQ0U1YffOn4EqV28iNao5v601mKnz4kckHdDgWYZVKLi4_d7zMlsuKuDi3ddh-BLyYC85sByC7UNkQTbxpVCkTWE0m9SmXNhNjRw9vVNizQftZeRf5waKFUu14Ik5-efIFg/s1600/bomb.tiff" /></a></div>
<br />
There was a joke back in the day that OT was possible only thanks to Dingbats (along with the Mac).<br />
<br />
The obituary has some stuff I didn't know about Zapf, e.g. that he did a design for the Cherokee syllabary. ><br />
<br />
But one oddity: The <i>NYT</i> often provides pronunciation guides on names and for Zapf, they give "DZAHFF" (in the print version and the online version this morning). In German, you would expect [tsapf]. The 'dz' might represent a lenited [ts] and he was from an area where lenition would be possible, if they gave a regional pronunciation. But I take the 'ah' to mean a long vowel, where I think relevant colloquial varieties, like the standard, should have a short vowel, at least in the noun of the same shape (cognate with English <i>tap</i>, as in beer) and there should be an affricate at the end. Anybody knows what's up here? <br />
<br />
*Pointing fingers now trigger a bad reaction for many of us in Wisconsin, see <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=scott+walker+pointing+fingers&espv=2&biw=1305&bih=904&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CB0QsARqFQoTCIf7pfWQhcYCFYkRkgodIO8Hcw">here</a> for the reason.Mr. Verbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-48382103968130598912015-06-09T08:41:00.001-05:002015-06-09T08:42:59.460-05:00The real misperception about the politics surrounding the University of WisconsinThis blog has been silent about recent developments aimed at destroying the University of Wisconsin by more rapid defunding, by dismantling tenure and by forbidding shared governance.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3n-jnZw-xv_9dflnBRnxBbISzE7yRGdvSl2QgNCj1bUjmieUZRVcRbcMgVJOrd2ROZgrnIYh-HPIZHInGYer3iDknkGovE4OJ_YGSIMa30ZXYkkZDmWMFGbImVc1Ud3dJ2EUsjA/s1600/535a1fe1babe9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3n-jnZw-xv_9dflnBRnxBbISzE7yRGdvSl2QgNCj1bUjmieUZRVcRbcMgVJOrd2ROZgrnIYh-HPIZHInGYer3iDknkGovE4OJ_YGSIMa30ZXYkkZDmWMFGbImVc1Ud3dJ2EUsjA/s320/535a1fe1babe9.jpg" width="320" /></a>We've seen the Board of Regents decline to step up and urge the state not to do these things. We've seen the System president and Madison chancellor reassure us repeatedly that there's really no problem here and then that it's not as bad as it seems and now that they're doing all they can to lessen the damage.<br />
<br />
The latest message from our chancellor (<a href="http://budget.wisc.edu/budget-news/blank-message-to-faculty-senate/">here</a>) is intended, among other things, to "help clarify some misperceptions". <br />
<br />
The only real misperception here is <b>any</b> failure to understand and to say clearly and directly that the state government — the governor and the assembly and the senate — intends to defund UW, dismantle tenure and destroy shared governance and this is a huge step toward accomplishing those goals. They have been very open about this (e.g. <a href="http://www.wisn.com/politics/upfront/web-extra-vos-on-tenure/33440678">here</a>) and to pretend like things aren't heading that way is maddening.<br />
<br />
What do we do? Well, you can run or you can stand and fight. If you choose the latter or have no choice but to stay, there's only one way to go: Organized action. A member of Team Verb posted this list on fb last week; consider it a suggestion to join and be active in the relevant groups:<br />
<div class="p1">
</div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://taa-madison.org/">TAA</a></li>
<li><a href="http://aaup.org/membership/join">AAUP</a></li>
<li><a href="http://profs.wisc.edu/?page_id=20">PROFS</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.wuu.info/join-wuu/">WUU</a></li>
<li><a href="http://ufas.wi.aft.org/">UFAS</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
The TAA has fought more effectively than anybody for UW in a broad sense, and even if you can't join, you should support them. AAUP is our big national ally and word on the street is that the long moribund local chapter is getting going again. PROFS is the key group working with state government (to the extent that is possible at present) and their website is a good source of information about what's happening. There are two small unions on campus for faculty and academic staff, the Wisconsin University Union and United Faculty and Academic Staff. My real hope is that these groups will now all work together ... the stakes could not be higher. </div>
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<br />Mr. Verbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-68479937043229870402015-05-29T08:36:00.000-05:002015-05-30T10:28:14.188-05:00Workshop on Immigrant Languages in the Americas 6: Uppsala, SwedenVarious UW folks have attended this workshop and recommend it highly. Besides, it's Sweden in September.<br />
<br />
<div class="p1">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZG8VCyp2e4jNIUhrZ00lRJNzhS0BzAYxerzR8X5qMUqPKDRmd3o6bGGnrqoR707M7_32BpHKi7goqbQ0Jn0e89jTtq792Zhyphenhyphenm8mFwiDutC0r_-ZyJhLXPHfdFNZlxB9FZMaoP4A/s1600/WILA6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZG8VCyp2e4jNIUhrZ00lRJNzhS0BzAYxerzR8X5qMUqPKDRmd3o6bGGnrqoR707M7_32BpHKi7goqbQ0Jn0e89jTtq792Zhyphenhyphenm8mFwiDutC0r_-ZyJhLXPHfdFNZlxB9FZMaoP4A/s400/WILA6.jpg" width="400" /></a><span class="s1">The <b>6th Annual Workshop on Immigrant Languages in the Americas</b> (WILA6) will take place on September 24–26, 2015, at Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. The workshop is hosted by the Department of English.<br />
<br />
We invite abstracts for 20-minute presentations on any aspect of the linguistics of heritage languages in the Americas (e.g., structural, generative, historical, sociolinguistic, or experimental). Abstracts should be no more than one page in length, but may include a second page with diagrams, charts, and references. The abstract itself should be anonymous, while the accompanying email should contain author information and the title of the paper. Abstracts should be sent to <a href="mailto:jsalmons@wisc.edu">Joe Salmons</a>. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1">Submission Deadline: </span>June 15, 2015. Decisions on acceptance will be announced in July.</div>
<div class="p3">
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span class="s4"><a href="http://www.engelska.uu.se/Forskning/engelsk_sprakvetenskap/Konferenser/wila6/">Conference website</a> </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://sympa.uio.no/iln.uio.no/info/heritage-language-list">Heritage Language Li</a>st</span></div>
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<span class="s1">For further information, please contact </span><a href="mailto:jsalmons@wisc.edu">Joe Salmons</a>. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="p4">
<b><span class="s7">
</span><span class="s4">Local Organizers </span></b></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="mailto:angela.falk@engelska.uu.se">Angela Hoffman Falk</a>, Department of English, Uppsala University </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><a href="mailto:merja.kyto@engelska.uu.se">Merja Kytö</a>, Department of English, Uppsala University </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><b>Organizers of WILA6 </b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Birna Arnbjörnsdóttir, University of Iceland </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Janne Bondi Johannessen, University of Oslo </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Michael Putnam, Penn State University</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Joseph Salmons, University of Wisconsin – Madison</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b></b></span></div>
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<b>Previous Workshops</b></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="http://tekstlab.uio.no/WILA5/index.html">The Fifth Annual Workshop on Immigrant Languages in the Americas</a>, October 2014, UCLA </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><a href="http://conference.hi.is/heritagelanguages/">The Fourth Annual Workshop on Immigrant Languages in the Americas</a>, September 2013, University of Iceland</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><a href="http://www.psu.edu/dept/heritagelangs/index.htm">The Third Workshop on Immigrant Languages in America</a>, September 2012, Penn State University </span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span class="s4"><a href="http://www.hf.uio.no/iln/english/about/organization/text-laboratory/news-events/events/2011/feforseminar-norskiamerika.html">The Second Workshop on Immigrant Languages in America</a>, September 2011, University of Oslo </span></div>
<span class="s1"><a href="http://uppermidwesterncultures.blogspot.no/2010/07/investigating-immigrant-languages-in.html">Investigating Immigrant Languages in America,</a> September 2010, University of Wisconsin, Madison</span>
<br />
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
Mr. Verbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-43727239812435295682015-05-26T08:30:00.002-05:002015-05-26T08:30:22.358-05:00David Brooks: English draws immigrantsI do not read David Brooks. Bad for my health. But when I saw the headline "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/26/opinion/david-brooks-talent-loves-english.html?ref=opinion">Talent loves English</a>" this morning, I hadn't had much coffee and didn't do what I knew was the right thing. I actually read the piece. Big mistake.<br />
<br />
Wherever the headline comes from, here's the reference to language [emphasis added]:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="s1">Across the English-speaking world, immigrants are drawn by the same things: relatively strong economies, good universities, open cultures and<b><span style="color: blue;"> the world’s lingua franca</span></b>.</span></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRr93At2Rh_vQf4cp-T7Lp1Tbo6TGjcngM1WEtVWC1Z_HWu2Gk-tujgt3d2PdTf26Rr2P_OAghaFFn6E3kXtDBI3zOSRWh5ctLfOKULWwcDmOLY8e3CFZcPcrxQws17lTq9imOw/s1600/english-lingua-franca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRr93At2Rh_vQf4cp-T7Lp1Tbo6TGjcngM1WEtVWC1Z_HWu2Gk-tujgt3d2PdTf26Rr2P_OAghaFFn6E3kXtDBI3zOSRWh5ctLfOKULWwcDmOLY8e3CFZcPcrxQws17lTq9imOw/s200/english-lingua-franca.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Wait, what? People immigrate to the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States because English is the dominant language in those places? I know a ton of immigrants, from many walks of life and from literally all over the world. Aside from a couple who came to work as English professors or something, I cannot imagine that a single one of them was motivated in any way by the dominant language spoken here.<br />
<br />
Does anybody know of any evidence of any kind, even anecdotal, that English motivates immigration to English-speaking countries? </div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Image from <a href="http://www.altalang.com/beyond-words/2013/08/19/how-is-english-used-as-a-lingua-franca-today/">here</a>.*</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
*Answer to question: Lingua franca <b><span style="color: blue;">is</span></b> English / in English. Wasn't always English, but is now. </div>
Mr. Verbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-62778266151791475552015-05-21T14:46:00.000-05:002015-05-21T14:46:55.143-05:00Yooper English in the newsNice article about Wil Rankinen's research on English in the UP … <a href="http://www.yourdailyglobe.com/story/2015/05/21/news/linguistics-professor-provides-insight-into-yooper-accent-trends/4842.html">here</a>.Mr. Verbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-64890713083877509232015-05-19T08:17:00.004-05:002015-05-19T08:17:59.506-05:00Video slang dictionary: Say whatSome readers of this little corner of the cyberverse may be interested in <a href="http://www.saywhatyo.com/">SayWhat: The people's video dictionary</a>. Its founder describes it as a video version of the <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/">Urban Dictionary</a>, which seems true enough.<br />
<br />
Would be nice to have a little info about who the speakers are, e.g. where they're from and date of the recording.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYmOr6064Gk4zHNGhcYHEsBzsJxmW5lWTDEw7vOqQuK5rn3gL_Bu79kAQL4XbOaEqmZ0EmZGPj3Rec5QsBjRSsY47VqU6qyzyy6q2J0w3zfPlTzIFz4WB_olBpDN_OBLdFSik7OQ/s1600/saywhat.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="95" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYmOr6064Gk4zHNGhcYHEsBzsJxmW5lWTDEw7vOqQuK5rn3gL_Bu79kAQL4XbOaEqmZ0EmZGPj3Rec5QsBjRSsY47VqU6qyzyy6q2J0w3zfPlTzIFz4WB_olBpDN_OBLdFSik7OQ/s320/saywhat.tiff" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Mr. Verbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-50678221772020491562015-05-12T18:40:00.001-05:002015-05-12T18:40:49.417-05:00*uninsurance!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4rbFl-Zggoa1cjMKIyX9eL7tzylp-znXTZglOpYsCSp3oeqhfCzbM_Uld7U0_KnDWn-WlYCfHKO8NF7UvArGB-3-PZIeQk_Q7x8wjtpNW-A1yc1ulmzE2qjt1vmm1h7pjTku82A/s1600/gecko_1566770c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4rbFl-Zggoa1cjMKIyX9eL7tzylp-znXTZglOpYsCSp3oeqhfCzbM_Uld7U0_KnDWn-WlYCfHKO8NF7UvArGB-3-PZIeQk_Q7x8wjtpNW-A1yc1ulmzE2qjt1vmm1h7pjTku82A/s200/gecko_1566770c.jpg" width="200" /></a>Does anybody besides me remember Lexical Morphology? I guess I'm thinking about it because I just finished teaching intro to morphology. Just heard this on the radio yesterday: "... a very high uninsurance rate" - !!! Classic bracketing paradox: <i>-ance</i> has to be level 1 (<i>luxury ~ luxuriance; predominate ~ predominance</i>); <i>un-</i> is level 2. But once<i> -ance</i> attaches, you have a noun, and besides Un-Cola and a few other advertising terms, <i>un-</i> doesn't attach to nouns.<br />
<br />
Slight digression: which <i>un-</i> is this?!? It doesn't seem like the <i>un- </i>that attaches to verbs because it doesn't mean reversal of action. So it has to be the one that attaches to adjectives. But of course <i>insurance</i> isn't an adjective either. Some weird back-formation from <i>uninsured</i>?<br />
<br />
Yikes. Morphology.<br />
<br />
PS Google search for <i>uninsurance</i>: 91,600 results. The world has gone mad - mad, I tell you!Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061307431754428801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-4769376205166922432015-05-11T16:36:00.002-05:002015-05-11T16:36:30.828-05:00DARE fights on!!! And mangoesNeed some good news? Then check out <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/dictionary-of-regional-american-english-funded-through-summer-2016-b99496747z1-303232051.html">this</a> story. <a href="http://www.daredictionary.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/">The Dictionary of American Regional English</a> is STILL surviving for now. I mean, it's to the point of funding for a few months driven by a GoFundMe campaign, but as our University is being plowed under and the field we've grown in is being salted, I take real inspiration in a small unit that is still alive on the softest of soft money. <br />
<br />
If you can, PLEASE help them out. Do what you gotta do: check the couch cushions for change, sell some plasma and pawn your banjo. Just help these people out.<br />
<br />
And as it happened, a member of Team Verb just reported by email that he'd had a discussion this weekend with somebody about the use of 'mango' for 'green pepper, bell pepper' in Ohio. DARE, of course, has the answer: The term is actually used for a whole set of kinds of peppers, and apparently tied to pickled versions of them at some point: "the East Indian mango (<i>Mangifera indica</i>) was at first known only as a pickle; the “mangoes” illustrated here were made in imitation of that imported delicacy". How cool is that?<br />
<br />
See the DARE map below.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8cCIvkmwrTx_vUtn7EQ0wLXXCoRshLOA_Ag48zAZ3nyrKiOgsnlBqY7sDJ7XD2mSvOMXYm0ZRFVJOvnVsuIix-Ew6p8-KYk85k9tqpgCE66LDWy46QjLDiUneQ9L9gxWtIWOg1A/s1600/mango2map.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8cCIvkmwrTx_vUtn7EQ0wLXXCoRshLOA_Ag48zAZ3nyrKiOgsnlBqY7sDJ7XD2mSvOMXYm0ZRFVJOvnVsuIix-Ew6p8-KYk85k9tqpgCE66LDWy46QjLDiUneQ9L9gxWtIWOg1A/s320/mango2map.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Mr. Verbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-62414983588649373882015-04-20T09:53:00.001-05:002015-04-20T09:53:30.222-05:00Mountain Man LinguisticsBeen a brutal year here in Wisconsin, as the state and the university are being steadily and intentionally destroyed.<br />
<br />
So, some good news is welcome: Paul Reed, one of the rising stars in the fields of American dialectology and sociolinguistics, is back at blogging, <a href="http://mountainmanlinguistics.blogspot.com/2015/04/back-into-blogging-game-southern-accents.html?spref=fb">here</a>. Check it out and keep an eye on his work ... you'll be glad you did.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglsKnQEr-vLeACwPXYVvPSROPHvtj7tmN94a7qr-oCKaWbjBijCHY8mPVFS9Eyf-h5TQpDAnJDk6VEx8sAhB742oS3o-gQFQ9vDh3KteJhwLDKuRnT5txJSVoM3YsihJ3EKWr8CQ/s1600/Appalachian_region_of_United_States.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglsKnQEr-vLeACwPXYVvPSROPHvtj7tmN94a7qr-oCKaWbjBijCHY8mPVFS9Eyf-h5TQpDAnJDk6VEx8sAhB742oS3o-gQFQ9vDh3KteJhwLDKuRnT5txJSVoM3YsihJ3EKWr8CQ/s1600/Appalachian_region_of_United_States.gif" height="320" width="311" /></a></div>
Mr. Verbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-54602131025545712722015-04-07T05:33:00.002-05:002015-04-07T05:33:42.785-05:00LINGUIST list fund drive<div class="tr_bq">
A message from some of the Wisconsin linguists …<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Folks,</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Most of you know that <a href="http://funddrive.linguistlist.org/"><span class="s2">LINGUIST</span></a> is now doing their annual fund drive. For five years, we had the privilege of editing book reviews for LINGUIST and we know very well how much time and effort goes into producing the posts that we all rely on for job and conference announcements, book announcements and reviews, and news about the profession, along with the rich website, which brings us everything from E-MELD to their directory of linguists. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">What you may not know is how heavily and directly they rely on donations from rank and file folks around the world.It takes a committed staff to run LINGUIST. Your donations help pay for the salary of graduate student editors. We urge you to donate and keep them going. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br />
<span class="s1">Onward!</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Joe, Monica, Anja & Rajiv</span></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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And it does look like Wisconsin could use some help in the <a href="http://funddrive.linguistlist.org/university/">University challenge</a>.<br />
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Mr. Verbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-24937310630814828822015-02-14T14:22:00.000-06:002015-02-14T14:22:17.442-06:00Gothica BononiensiaOne of our contributors noted a while back the discovery of new Gothic manuscript material (<a href="http://mr-verb.blogspot.com/2013/10/new-gothic-manuscript.html">here</a>). The scholars who've done the deciphering and interpretation contacted Team Verb and offered to send us copies of a couple of their articles on the subject, which have arrived:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Finazzi, Rosa Bianca & Paola Tornaghi. 2014. Alcune riflessioni sul palinsesto gotico-latino di bologna. <i>Intorno alle saghe norrene</i>, ed. by Carla Falluomini. 229-265. Alessandria: Edizioni dell'Osro.</li>
<li>Finazzi, Rosa Bianca & Paola Tornaghi. 2014. Gothica Bononiensia: A new document under linguistic and philological analysis. <i>IJGLSA</i>. 19.1-56.</li>
</ul>
<br />
As the length of the articles suggests, these are meaty, detailed analysis of the small amount of material found, including painstaking comparison to previously known Gothic material. The authors make the simple but important point that while one could before doubt how much of the bible had been translated into Gothic, we've now got evidence that at least a lot of the Old Testament was translated.<br />
<br />
There's all kinds of stuff in there that specialists can go to town on — like new evidence for productivity of some prefixes (in the Italian article) — but I found it pretty striking that there is material is very relevant to Gothic phonology even, with new evidence on syllabification based on where line breaks are written, and hints on other matters, like a spelling <ds> for expected <ϸs>.</ds><br />
<br />
But above all, how tantalizing is it to think that the corpus of a language like Gothic is not actually closed …<br />
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Very nice!Mr. Verbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-28674598686158051472015-01-20T19:59:00.000-06:002015-01-25T09:53:56.640-06:00Who Cares?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaoxWlgoCWDR5dV2c7HeYG1Z-h9qVD6_-nhohjwZPLgyntqxiZ8tfrVnzhbq37ygHsJ9QLwURAKGZmV2vmHiTIoEEm15SN1wzGk7v-ZbZ3u6bAZS5tsWo1RwBQvC_wyODcD4WwKQ/s1600/who_cares2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaoxWlgoCWDR5dV2c7HeYG1Z-h9qVD6_-nhohjwZPLgyntqxiZ8tfrVnzhbq37ygHsJ9QLwURAKGZmV2vmHiTIoEEm15SN1wzGk7v-ZbZ3u6bAZS5tsWo1RwBQvC_wyODcD4WwKQ/s1600/who_cares2.png" height="92" width="200" /></a>My dad has had to listen to me talk about linguistics for over 30 years now, but the other night he asked me what linguists say when people ask why it's important to maintain, revitalize, and reclaim languages. It was probably on his mind because of McWhorter's recent <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/07/opinion/sunday/why-save-a-language.html?_r=0" target="_blank">column</a> on the topic. I told Mr. Verb about the conversation and he said I should post something about it. I certainly don't pretend that my answer is anything new - lots of people have said this - but it's worth repeating.<br />
<br />
So first, there's the linguistcentric reason: if all these languages die, what the heck are we going to do with ourselves? But only linguists care about that one.<br />
<br />
Second, people often say that languages express unique worldviews ... well, yes and no. I do agree with McWhorter that this can lead to the "when a language dies, a culture dies with it" mentality - which I've always found quite offensive towards groups whose languages are dormant. Having met a lot of incredible language activists at the 2013 DC Breath of Life whose languages are no longer spoken (or just beginning to be spoken again), I can tell you that they are totally still culturally connected. (See <a href="http://nationalbreathoflife.org/" target="_blank">here</a> for the 2015 BoL.)<br />
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But the third reason is social justice: colonization has caused loss after loss after loss. If I can put my energy into trying to prevent a further loss, then I should do it. As <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15235882.1995.10668589#.VL8FHIelamE" target="_blank">Crawford</a> (1995) put it, "After all, language death does not happen in privileged communities. It happens to the dispossessed and disempowered, peoples who most need their cultural resources to survive." I've always thought that was such a good quote.<br />
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P.S. "Linguistic Justice is Social Justice" - see Colleen Fitzgerald's excellent <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/colleen-m-fitzgerald/remembering-martin-luther_2_b_6501778.html?utm_hp_ref=tw" target="_blank">post</a> on this topic too.Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061307431754428801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-28173236476074684242015-01-20T14:17:00.001-06:002015-01-20T14:19:17.824-06:00LSA 'Foundation Members' from WisconsinSomebody just told me about looking through the lists of original members of the Linguistic Society of America — they'd talked to someone at another university who'd actually investigated this in detail for their institution. The list of original members is published in the first issue of <i>Language</i>, 1925, and includes everyone who had joined before the end of March of that year. I thought, "oh, great, I'll write a little quiz post asking who can guess the Wisconsin foundation members". Well, I checked out the list and the Wisconsin folks are probably not familiar to a lot of people, even those who know the history of linguistics on campus.<br />
<div class="p1">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Prof. A. G. Laird, Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. (Greek)</li>
<li>Dr. Raphael Levy, Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisc. (Romance Langs.) </li>
<li>Prof. Antonio G. Solalinde, Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisc. (Spanish) </li>
<li>Miss Else M. Saleski, Madison, Wis. (German, Univ. of Wisconsin) </li>
</ul>
These were important figures on campus. Laird was editor of the Classical Journal 1907-1909, and Solalinde directed the dissertation of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_Kasten">Lloyd Kasten</a>, later a key figure in linguistics and philology on campus. Saleski, who went on to teach at Downer College (now UW–Milwaukee) and elsewhere, is mentioned in Julia Falk's <i>Women, Language and Linguistics.</i><br />
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Others with strong Wisconsin connections include Leonard Bloomfield and Eduard Prokosch.</div>
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Mr. Verbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-14659086791222135232015-01-19T15:46:00.000-06:002015-01-19T15:47:15.996-06:00Chicago Dialect Project<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJeyZOQzlLMEEnHnsl1-wE9g4EcG_2l_kRms1bX_EVUM_Dh2Q_DomTE-maQsEOXZbFHs883ndqgWGtfvhyCgCrrlJ8zLWiz1uPrjg1DlqFVLf4xTaktHQiCk4vL8geFombvxTlw/s1600/Da-Bears.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJeyZOQzlLMEEnHnsl1-wE9g4EcG_2l_kRms1bX_EVUM_Dh2Q_DomTE-maQsEOXZbFHs883ndqgWGtfvhyCgCrrlJ8zLWiz1uPrjg1DlqFVLf4xTaktHQiCk4vL8geFombvxTlw/s1600/Da-Bears.gif" height="150" width="200" /></a>There's a great new project on the development of English in Chicago. It's the Chicago Dialect Project. Check it out on Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ChicagoDialectProject">here</a>. And <a href="https://chicagodialect.wordpress.com/">here</a>'s a link to the blog associated with it, which doesn't have much on it yet but will.<br />
<br />
Say what you will about the Bears and the Cubs, they have a pretty interesting dialect down there in that part of Flatlandia.<br />
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<br />Mr. Verbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-68136921690587986622015-01-05T14:59:00.001-06:002015-01-05T15:44:31.791-06:00Sociolinguistic Events Calendar <div class="tr_bq">
Ever start something that becomes so successful you can't manage it at some point? Welcome to the lives of the people who started the Sociolinguistic Events Calendar. Dave Sayers just posted this to the Variationist List (go <a href="https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=VAR-L">here</a> to subscribe). Help these folks out if you can and become a <i>calendariser</i> (<i>calendarizer</i>?).</div>
<br />
<blockquote>
Hello one and all, and happy new year!<br />
<span class="s1">The Sociolinguistic Events Calendar (<a href="http://www.baal.org.uk/slxevents.html"><span class="s2">http://www.baal.org.uk/slxevents.html</span></a>) is now bustling with events across the world, and has also been linked to by a number of event organisers, including NWAV: <a href="http://linguistics.utoronto.ca/nwav44/"><span class="s2">http://linguistics.utoronto.ca/nwav44/</span></a>. Meanwhile the synopsis on <a href="http://academia.edu/"><span class="s2">academia.edu</span></a> is apparently in the top 3% of viewed pages this month (<a href="http://academia.edu/9619924"><span class="s2">http://academia.edu/9619924</span></a>). My co-calendariser - Jonathan Kasstan - and I are overwhelmingly honoured by all this success, acclaim and esteem, which has helped us keep plugging away at it, but... we are kinda getting a little overworked with it all. Help us! We're looking to recruit volunteers to help keep this resource going, since it's not altogether clear how long we can keep going just the two of us.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="s1">We're hoping to gather a team of about 5-7, thinking that one person could cover the various calls that come up on each day of the week. The commitment per person would be about half an hour a day (plus an hour or so of initial training on how events are formatted in the calendar). The daily workload is manageable, but pretty constant - although I suppose it'll vary depending on the time of year (there probably aren't so many calls in the summer for example).</span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="s1">Please please get in touch if you'd like to step up to this exciting level of responsibility and celebrity :)</span><br />
<span class="s1">Dave</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="s1">--</span><span class="s1">Dr. Dave Sayers</span><span class="s1">Senior Lecturer, Dept Humanities, Sheffield Hallam University, UK</span><span class="s1">Honorary Research Fellow, Arts & Humanities, Swansea University, UK (2009-2015)</span><span class="s2"><a href="mailto:dave.sayers@cantab.net">dave.sayers@cantab.net</a></span><span class="s3"> | <a href="http://swansea.academia.edu/DaveSayers"><span class="s4">http://swansea.academia.edu/DaveSayers</span></a></span> </blockquote>
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Mr. Verbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-25243296625888984462015-01-03T15:33:00.003-06:002015-01-03T15:35:48.449-06:00LSA special session on the Publishing ProcessPass the word ...<br />
<br />
Next Thursday afternoon at the Portland meeting of the LSA, there will be a special session on the Publishing Process, cosponsored by the <span style="text-align: center;">Committee of Editors
of Linguistics Journals and the Committee on Student
Issues and Concerns (Troy Messick, Chair). There will be brief remarks by a set of editors, but most of the event will be a chance to ask questions about publishing in linguistics journals. </span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">Whether you can be there or not, you can participate … via comments on the LSA's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LingSocAm?fref=photo">facebook page</a> or via twitter with the hashtag<span style="text-align: start;"> #LSApubs. Materials from the session will be posted online afterwards.</span></span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
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<!--EndFragment-->Mr. Verbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-27576933400826528152014-12-07T13:34:00.003-06:002014-12-07T13:34:37.058-06:00Does language really matter?People are talking today, rightly, about John McWhorter's piece in the <i>NY Times,</i> "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/07/opinion/sunday/why-save-a-language.html?ref=opinion">Why save a language?</a>". But a similar question is treated beautifully in a piece by Ewa Czaykowska-Higgins and colleagues (University of Victoria) in the <i>Times Colonist, "</i><a href="http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/op-ed/comment-language-a-strong-symbol-of-cultural-identity-1.1652835">Language a strong symbol of cultural identity</a>". It treats revitalization efforts in British Columbia. Here's the punchline:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="s1">Supporting the health of these languages is … one way to support and strengthen the well-being of individuals and communities, and to support education and economies.</span></blockquote>
Language is, in the relevant sense here, very local, and the focused perspective of this piece makes it particularly valuable. But especially relevant for us here in Wisconsin is the partnerships between linguists and communities in revitalization work.<br />
<br />
It's important to have good answers when the why-save-a-language stuff comes up (and it does), but the hard work on the ground here is far more important.Mr. Verbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-52301242090195560242014-12-06T11:55:00.003-06:002014-12-06T11:55:50.057-06:00Minnesota English in the news<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWv2acKfOr2NpD4jkVlyDN_nhqXLYtLdgMD7QTKdxNQKQl6Te0msZU3qkvHQl-33haDg5xMnK7MwSaK5Blcty2iRcsMWp186XADTypEBHQ5_XAmNsj-i-iiEyHxp0YKvICtuXPw/s1600/mnMap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWv2acKfOr2NpD4jkVlyDN_nhqXLYtLdgMD7QTKdxNQKQl6Te0msZU3qkvHQl-33haDg5xMnK7MwSaK5Blcty2iRcsMWp186XADTypEBHQ5_XAmNsj-i-iiEyHxp0YKvICtuXPw/s1600/mnMap.jpg" height="184" width="200" /></a></div>
Nice piece about Minnesota English by Andy Rathbun available <a href="http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_27075765/that-minnesoooota-accent-is-something-be-proud">here</a>. Looks like he talked to about everybody you could on the subject, including some nice on-the-ground stories from speakers.<br />
<br />
People like to compare Minnesota and Wisconsin, it seems like. Minnesota's thriving economically while Wisconsin sinks into oblivion these days and they're vastly better than Wisconsin at college hockey right now, but they don't have much going on this year in the NFL. But they're keep pace dialect-wise.<br />
<br />
The Wisconsin Englishes Project folks are said to have something new in the works about vowels in Wisconsin and Minnesota ... stay tuned for that.Mr. Verbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.com2