8.1324, Qs: IE language, Link-words, English vowels

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List:  Vol-8-1324. Sun Sep 21 1997. ISSN: 1068-4875.

Subject: 8.1324, Qs: IE language, Link-words, English vowels

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We'd like to remind readers that the responses to queries are usually
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then  strongly encouraged to post a summary to the list.   This policy was
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=================================Directory=================================

1)
Date:  Tue, 16 Sep 1997 12:21:02 -0500
From:  Niloofar Haeri <haeri at jhu.edu>
Subject:  Query/ Emile Benveniste

2)
Date:  Tue, 16 Sep 1997 22:21:18 +0200
From:  DECLOITRE PHILIPPE <philippe.decloitre at hol.fr>
Subject:  Link-words, articles and non-predicative words

3)
Date:  Wed, 17 Sep 1997 17:42:57 -0500
From:  "Michael M. T. Henderson" <mmth at ukans.edu>
Subject:  English vowels

-------------------------------- Message 1 -------------------------------

Date:  Tue, 16 Sep 1997 12:21:02 -0500
From:  Niloofar Haeri <haeri at jhu.edu>
Subject:  Query/ Emile Benveniste


Does anyone know whether the work Benveniste did in his "Indo-European
Language and Society" (he looked at IE vocabulary in domains such as law,
exchange, kinship, etc.) has been followed up by anyone else? Also in this
book Benveniste says that he will not discuss the external history of these
institutions. Are there books that can be read parallel to this work that
would provide that history?

I would appreciate any references that you might know of. Please send them
to haeri at jhu.edu
In case there is further interest, I will post all references received.
Thank you.
Niloofar Haeri

Dept. of Anthropology
Johns Hopkins Univ.
Baltimore, MD 21218


-------------------------------- Message 2 -------------------------------

Date:  Tue, 16 Sep 1997 22:21:18 +0200
From:  DECLOITRE PHILIPPE <philippe.decloitre at hol.fr>
Subject:  Link-words, articles and non-predicative words

I have always been very much interested in the articles that deal with
the "deeper" meaning of so-called link-words, articles and other non
predicative words, but I always wonder where it is possible to get an
idea of their historical origine. Does anyone know of a book that
contains that sort of data (i.e. that tells you that "This" comes from
"at" + "*so")
Thank you.


-------------------------------- Message 3 -------------------------------

Date:  Wed, 17 Sep 1997 17:42:57 -0500
From:  "Michael M. T. Henderson" <mmth at ukans.edu>
Subject:  English vowels

I'm looking for references to studies on (generally) to vowel systems of
young Americans and (specifically) any mergers anyone has noticed. I've
been struck with the extreme closeness, if not merger, of the vowels in
'best' and 'bust'. Last week, given an IPA transcription t - superscript
h - inverted v - engma, two 20-something females in my phonetics class
decoded it as 'ten'. (Of course, 28 other students didn't.)

Michael M. T. Henderson
Linguistics Department
University of Kansas
Lawrence KS 66045-2140
mmth at ukans.edu

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