6.1399, Sum: Reference Grammars

[The Linguist List]

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
LINGUIST List:  Vol-6-1399. Wed Oct 11 1995. ISSN: 1068-4875. Lines:  152
 
Subject: 6.1399, Sum: Reference Grammars
 
Moderators: Anthony Rodrigues Aristar: Texas A&M U. <aristar at tam2000.tamu.edu>
            Helen Dry: Eastern Michigan U. <hdry 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:  Wed, 11 Oct 1995 16:08:19 BST
From:  avg at sun1.cip.fak14.uni-muenchen.de (AVG Project)
Subject:  Sum: Query on Reference Grammars
 
---------------------------------Messages------------------------------------
1)
Date:  Wed, 11 Oct 1995 16:08:19 BST
From:  avg at sun1.cip.fak14.uni-muenchen.de (AVG Project)
Subject:  Sum: Query on Reference Grammars
 
Dear linguists,
 
on Thu 01 June 1995, we posted a query on ideal reference grammars
(Subject: 6.754, Survey: Reference grammars) on LINGUIST List.
 
First of all, we have to apologize that it took us quite a long time
to evaluate all answers we received but we got eighty-two replies
and the last one was sent to us on 01 October.
 
This summary has the following structure:
 
   1) Acknowledgements
   2) The Original Query
   3) Long Version of the Summary
   4) Short Summary
 
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
1) Acknowledgements
 
We want to thank warmly once again all those people who responded to
our query. We have thanked everbody individually and we hope that we
have forgotten no one. You have done us a great favor indeed.
A listing of the names and email addresses of all respondents is
given in the long version of this summary (s. 3).
 
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
2) The Original Query
 
Our original query can be accessed at the following URL
 
http://www.cip.fak14.uni-muenchen.de/~avg/working_papers/query.html
	
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
3) Long Version of the Summary
 
The following summary is a short version. A more detailed compilation
is available at the URL
 
http://www.cip.fak14.uni-muenchen.de/~avg/working_papers/summary.html
 
Linguists who don't have  www access may contact us. We will send
them the long version via email.
 
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
4) Short Summary
 
4.1 Quantity
 
Most respondents expected a good reference grammar to contain a
grammar and a lexicon. The most often named subsystems which should
be described are morphology and syntax. Examples and text corpus are
the most important kinds of data that should be found in a good
reference grammar. Furthermore, the most often expected sort of
further information is the description of language varieties.
 
4.2 Quality
 
The vast majority of respondents expect a good reference grammar to
be descriptive and to provide both synchronical and diachronical,
but primarily synchronical information. According to the answers we
received a reference grammar should not be bound to a specific
linguistic theory. Forms and functions should be described together.
The terminology used should be in the first place suitable for the
language described.
 
4.3 Organisation of the Grammar
 
The preferred order of the subsytems of a grammar is:
 
     Phonetics/Phonology - Orthography - Morphology - Syntax -
     Semantics - Pragmatics.
 
>>From the simple cases to the complex ones is the most wanted
additional ordering principle that should be observed in a reference
grammar. Most respondents expect to find a table of contents and the
grammar to be organized in chapters.
 
4.4 Ergonomy
 
The most often chosen ergonomical means of a grammar are tables and
paradigms. The preferred media are books.
 
4.5 Importance of Parameters
 
The most important aspects of a reference grammar are quality and
quantity.
 
The three most important questions in our query are:
 o Which subsystems of the language do you expect to be described in
   a good reference grammar? (1.2)
 o What kind of data do you expect to find in a good reference
   grammar? (1.3)
 o What do you expect about the theoretical background of a good
   reference grammar? (2.3)
 
4.6 Examples
 
The most often cited reference grammar is Quirk et al. 1985. A
Comprehensive Grammar of English.
 
4.7 Personal Information
 
28 respondents have field work experience. The preferred theoretical
frameworks are generative ones (GB, LFG, HPSG). Most respondents use
DOS and Windows computers.
 
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
Best wishes
-Roman.
 
 
                               AVG 2.0
                    avg at cip.fak14.uni-muenchen.de
              http://www.cip.fak14.uni-muenchen.de/~avg/
                   Institut fuer Deutsche Philologie
                         Universitaet Muenchen
                            Schellingstr. 3
                           D-80799 Muenchen
                                Germany
					
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
LINGUIST List: Vol-6-1399.