7.711, Sum: English textbooks

[The Linguist List]

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LINGUIST List:  Vol-7-711. Mon May 20 1996. ISSN: 1068-4875. Lines:  73
 
Subject: 7.711, Sum: English textbooks
 
Moderators: Anthony Rodrigues Aristar: Texas A&M U. <aristar at tam2000.tamu.edu>
            Helen Dry: Eastern Michigan U. <hdry at emunix.emich.edu> (On Leave)
            T. Daniel Seely: Eastern Michigan U. <dseely at emunix.emich.edu>
 
Associate Editor:  Ljuba Veselinova <lveselin at emunix.emich.edu>
Assistant Editors: Ron Reck <rreck at emunix.emich.edu>
                   Ann Dizdar <dizdar at tam2000.tamu.edu>
                   Annemarie Valdez <avaldez at emunix.emich.edu>
 
Software development: John H. Remmers <remmers at emunix.emich.edu>
 
Editor for this issue: lveselin at emunix.emich.edu (Ljuba Veselinova)
 
---------------------------------Directory-----------------------------------
1)
Date:  Thu, 16 May 1996 17:58:00 CDT
From:  Mike_Maxwell at sil.org
Subject:  Sum: English textbooks
 
---------------------------------Messages------------------------------------
1)
Date:  Thu, 16 May 1996 17:58:00 CDT
From:  Mike_Maxwell at sil.org
Subject:  Sum: English textbooks
 
 
Several weeks ago, I posted (LINGUIST 7.624) a note on a
7th. grade English textbook, in which they called PPs that
modify NPs "Adjective Phrases."  I guess I wasn't so much
asking a question as I was voicing a complaint, but got some
thoughtful replies anyway.  Thanks to jwc13 at csufresno.edu
(no name given), Howard Gregory (HG4 at soas.ac.uk), Charles
Meyer (meyer at umbsky.cc.umb.edu), Bill (bill at softdom.com),
and Suzette Haden Elgin (ocls at sibylline.com).  There were
also a couple replies posted directly to LINGUIST, which I
won't try to summarize.
 
All respondents were sympathetic with my complaining, but
didn't offer much help.  Suzette Haden Elgin's comments,
excerpted below, were typical:
 
   I was asked to go into a school and explain to a seventh-grade
   teacher that prepositions are the equivalent, for English, of
   case markers...
   I did my best to comply, and I'm sure the teacher understood.
   When I got to the end of the explanation, she said, "I see what
   you mean, and it's obvious that what you're saying is true. But
   I certainly can't tell the children in my class about it." I
   asked her why not, and she said, "It would only confuse them."
   I know what that meant -- there won't be a multiple choice
   question on the standardized test that has that information as
   one of the answers...
 
   I've been fighting this garbage for a quarter of a century. If
   you enjoy beating your head against a brick wall, endlessly and
   uselessly, you could try doing the same and I would cheer you
   on.
 
My head isn't sore yet, but I can see what she means...
Thanks to all who responded!
 
BTW, the apparent reason for teaching the students what
these so-called "adjective phrases" are, was so they could
be told not to used extraposed PPs (they did not use the
term "extraposed", of course).
 
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