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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=796173020-04082004>As a linguist who
has been away from academia for longer than I wish to admit, so doesn't
feel much like a 'linguist' anymore, I thought I'd stay out of this
discussion. But I have my own unique niche in the field: teaching
professionals who have need to question children (primarily for forensic
purposes) that it is vital that they fully appreciate the differences between
their facility with language and their level of cognitive power and that of
children. I pack a great deal of information into my workshops, whether
they are 1 or 2 days long, or 90 minutes short, so humor is an extremely
valuable tool in making that information memorable. I use cartoons and
comic strips, of course, but the humor I enjoy adding the most comes from
the very kind of "children say the darndest things" examples given to me by the
professionals (ranging from cops on the street to judges on the bench) who
attend those workshops. Not all of the phenomena in your GEMS
discussion (e.g., learning the proper use of the reflexive) are applicable
for those audiences. But idiosyncratic substitution of the familiar for
the unfamiliar (Nan Ratner's <FONT size=2>"Why are all those grown ups arguing
about <U>tissues</U>?"), and creative capture of an entire verb phrase in one
word (Betty Jancosek's 3-yr-old's ,"Someone's <U>lawning</U>!") are perfect
lead-ins to alerting adult questioners to more serious kinds of idiosyncrasies
that can have long-term consequences in cases such as allegations of child
abuse. So I am particularly thankful to add to my repertoire the examples
you share.</FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=796173020-04082004></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=796173020-04082004>In fact, let
me thank all of you for your interest in, and curiosity about language with
a small 'l', and your generosity in sharing your knowledge and expertise on
such an enormous variety of linguistic topics.
</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
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<DIV align=left>Anne Graffam Walker, Ph.D.</DIV>
<DIV align=left>Forensic Linguist</DIV>
<DIV align=left>6404 Cavalier Corridor</DIV>
<DIV align=left>Falls Church VA 22044-1207</DIV>
<DIV align=left>Ph: 703-354-1796</DIV>
<DIV align=left>Fax: 703-256-2914</DIV>
<P class=MsoAutoSig> <SPAN class=796173020-04082004>[</SPAN><SPAN
class=796173020-04082004>Author of Handbook on Questioning Children: A
Linguistic Perspective]</SPAN></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV>
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