"Bargaining Chip": Antedating & Mystery

[Alice Faber]

Dennis R. Preston said:
>What nonsense. This contribution (sic) apparently means that people
>who are trained in historical and etymological linguistics, since
>they participate in a "public" list, are required to take specious
>crap and treat it with academic seriousness.
>
>Perhaps we need to revisit the concept of this list; friend that I am
>of folk linguistics, I need to spend a little time away from the
>folk, discussing my work and commenting on the work of others who
>have professional training in the field.
>
>Why is it that we (so often) have this discussion in linguistics and
>never in chemistry, physics, acoustics, etc... ? My (unhappy)
>conclusion is still that, in the public mind, linguistics lacks
>scientific status and "my comments about language" are just a valid
>as anybody's.

My cousin the senior big shot astronomer gets as much of this stuff
(lack of respect for the academic training) as we do. We've spent
time commiserating at family gatherings.

Alice
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Alice Faber                                             faber at haskins.yale.edu
Haskins Laboratories                                  tel: (203) 865-6163 x258
New Haven, CT 06511 USA                                     fax (203) 865-8963