This paper discusses the term "ergative" and traces the history of this and related terms and concepts in descriptive linguistics. Early attempts at defining the ergative illustrate the preoccupation with its supposedly passive nature. Other questions include the simple identification of the ergative, co-occurring cases, supposed…

Challenges the descriptive linguist to tackle the problem of Educated Spoken Arabic and its regional varieties, in particular in regard to aspect and the participle. (AM)

Proposes an analysis of Spanish stress patterns based on a combination of phonological and morphological surface structure, which draws evidence from psycholinguistic data as well. (Author/AM)

This paper discusses computer-based resources for lexical data and their uses. First, the kinds of lexical data available are described, including those related to form (spelling, pronunciation, inflection, word class), meaning (definition/equivalent, synonyms/antonyms/hyperonyms, thesaurus classification), context (grammatical collocations,…

A study suggests that the nature of linguistic borrowing in a group of 14 African languages termed Togo remnant languages--Basila, Lelemie (Buem), Aogba, Adele, Likpe, Santrokofi, Akpafu-Lolobi, Avatime, Nyangbo-Tafi, Bowili, Aklo, Kposo, Kebu, Animere--is similar to that of the Akebu language. Analysis focuses on the origins and itineraries of…

Handshapes with single finger extension are examined in data from 10 sign languages: American, Australian, British, Finnish, French, Japanese, Providence Island, Rennell Island, Indian, and Swedish. It is concluded that a theory of marking can be developed along the same lines as for spoken language, with only the physiology differing. (Author/MSE)

Examines the contributions of linguistic research and linguistic theory to the teaching of languages proposinq a reevaluation of pedagogic concepts and models. Argues that so far theorists have ignored some important aspects of language, such as the esthetic and expressive elements of discourse, the situational constraints and the semantic…

Descriptive grammars based on sets of rewrite rules were constructed to summarize the structure and organization of 120 entries in a second grade student's journal of class news. These rules illuminated the relationship between experience, abstraction, and generation of structure, and the use of structure to express complex thoughts. (PMJ)

Presents a linguistic description of the schematic organization of 40 journal articles from three academic journals in computing research. Results indicate the introduction-methods-results-discussion research reporting pattern can not be applied to computer science articles, with the central part (methods- results) departing most from the…

This article argues that British Received Pronunciation (RP) is inconsistently defined, arbitrary, and anachronistic, and that it should be replaced as an instructional concept by British Pronunciation (BP), which would be based on an actual and adequate descriptive phonetics, called here "Realphonetik." Contains 77 references. (MDM)

The materials presented here contain information about Cajun history, demography, language, music, and song. They include: a list of significant dates and events in Cajun history, from 1604 to 1990; maps indicating Cajun parishes in Louisiana and settlement areas in 1790 and 1981; notes on Cajun French, including distinctions between it and…

A historical-comparative study of the sonorant system of Athabaskan, Eyak, and Tlingit, American Indian languages of Alaska, is presented. In this study, sonorants are considered as a class rather than as a constituent of the general consonant group. An opening section looks at the development of the generally recognized Proto-Athabaskan (PA)…

This is the second volume of articles produced at the 1982 Summer Institute of Linguistics of the Linguistics Society of the Philippines. Seven articles from this conference appear in Volume 5, Number 1, grouped under Sections I and II. The remaining four papers, grouped under Section III, appear in this volume and deal with a variety of topics…

Discusses the usefulness of earlier, neglected linguistic traditions in solving some of the problems faced by transformationalists today. (Text is in French.) (AM)