Linguistics Tea Room

[MariaRegina]

Hello, I am starting a Linguistics Tea Room.

Please come in, bring your favorite linguistics books, and have some tea and some British biscuits (aka American cookies).

Ask questions, share linguistics jokes, and demystify Noam Chomsky.

Now I gotta invite Greg to see if he will bring in a platter of baklava.

 

[MariaRegina]

Welcome all with your linguistic questions.

This is a place where you can speak in English and ask questions about languages, dialects, code-switching, gestures, body language, and humor.

 

[AllForJesus]

Heyyy I can bring baklava from here!

 

[MariaRegina]

Please do and also invite Greg the Byzantine.

He is a great maker of baklava.

Wish I had some of his recipes.

 

[Thekla]

Thank-you for starting this

My family moved a few times when I was young - I found it fascinating that the contents of the Thanksgiving turkey could be called stuffing, filling, or wadding (depending on the region)

 

[MariaRegina]

Thank-you for starting this

My family moved a few times when I was young - I found it fascinating that the contents of the Thanksgiving turkey could be called stuffing, filling, or wadding (depending on the region)

I wonder if Dr. Labov has that word on his linguistic maps.

He has the bucket and pail on his list as different regions prefer different names for the same item.

Have you seen his maps? College websites have free access I think. However, it is about $499 I think if you would like to purchase that word Atlas. It is online.

 

[Chesterton]

My family moved a few times when I was young - I found it fascinating that the contents of the Thanksgiving turkey could be called stuffing, filling, or wadding (depending on the region)

Wadding? That seems so odd. I've only ever heard wadding used for something like cloth or paper. If I heard that it would be very unappetizing 'cause I'd picture the turkey stuffed with rags (or maybe gum).

 

[Thekla]

I wonder if Dr. Labov has that word on his linguistic maps.

He has the bucket and pail on his list as different regions prefer different names for the same item.

Have you seen his maps? College websites have free access I think. However, it is about $499 I think if you would like to purchase that word Atlas. It is online.

This sounds interesting !
(I do recall a "carbonated beverage term" map from about 7 years ago - wonder if this is related ???)

 

[MariaRegina]

This sounds interesting !
(I do recall a "carbonated beverage term" map from about 7 years ago - wonder if this is related ???)

Yes I do remember the carbonated beverage item with the following list:
soda
pop
cola
fizzy
etc.

That was part of his atlas.

 

[MariaRegina]

Wadding? That seems so odd. I've only ever heard wadding used for something like cloth or paper. If I heard that it would be very unappetizing 'cause I'd picture the turkey stuffed with rags (or maybe gum).

Yes, wadding sounds like something surgical used to soak up bodily fluids. Therefore it does not sound very appetizing.
​

 

[Thekla]

Wadding? That seems so odd. I've only ever heard wadding used for something like cloth or paper. If I heard that it would be very unappetizing 'cause I'd picture the turkey stuffed with rags (or maybe gum).

Its also the term for what is placed in a cannon (along with the projectile):

[FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]To keep the powder in, a bit of wadding (compressed fiber particles) is placed at the end on top of the powder. The plastic or paper casing (hull) is then crimped over it. Wadding can be very dangerous, as it leaves the barrel at nearly the speed of sound and travels several feet.[/FONT]

Lends a whole new dimension to dinner

 

[Thekla]

Yes I do remember the carbonated beverage item with the following list:
soda
pop
cola
fizzy
etc.

That was part of his atlas.

Must be it, then ...

(my 3 young sorts all say "soft drink" and "soda" interchangeably).

 

[MariaRegina]

Its also the term for what is placed in a cannon (along with the projectile):


Lends a whole new dimension to dinner

Yes, very dangerous, explosively so.

 

[Chesterton]

I made model rockets as a kid and you had to stuff wadding in 'em. I can't remember but I think it was to protect the parachute from the heat.

 

[Thekla]

I made model rockets as a kid and you had to stuff wadding in 'em. I can't remember but I think it was to protect the parachute from the heat.

Oh wow ! I'd forgotten about that (my brother used to launch them).

 

[MariaRegina]

I made model rockets as a kid and you had to stuff wadding in 'em. I can't remember but I think it was to protect the parachute from the heat.

My brother liked to make those soda pop rockets using fire cracker powder. Could have blown his fingers off. The things that kids will do.

Do you remember those videos of soda fizzies that the folks in TAW posted where guys were dropping them off from church roofs? That was so dangerous. When the bottles hit the ground, they would explode upwards.

Oh now we are going off topic.

Linguistics also involves homophones such as cannons and canons. We have had fun with those two terms, haven't we Thekla?

 

[MariaRegina]

I just took the CSET - English test for California Teachers - Subsets II and IV.

Although I cannot talk about specific questions, as the test copyright is very much protected and enforced, I can say that the test had a lot of very interesting questions about language and linguistics (it is advertised that way .

Strange too, because many English teachers hate linguistics and do not do very well in it.

When I was taking English 610 - Syntax (or advanced grammar), we originally had 25 students in the class. On the first day of class, the instructor wrote some tree diagrams while explaining the development of Noam Chomsky's Minimalist Program.

When one English major said that the tree diagrams reminded her of calculus and that she did not like calculus, the professor told her that calculus is very important and that every college student should have some knowledge of calculus.

All of the English majors walked out of the class during the break and never came back. Only Linguistics majors (me included) remained.

 

[AllForJesus]

I just took the CSET - English test for California Teachers - Subsets II and IV.

Although I cannot talk about specific questions, as the test copyright is very much protected and enforced, I can say that the test had a lot of very interesting questions about language and linguistics (it is advertised that way .

Strange too, because many English teachers hate linguistics and do not do very well in it.

When I was taking English 610 - Syntax (or advanced grammar), we originally had 25 students in the class. On the first day of class, the instructor wrote some tree diagrams while explaining the development of Noam Chomsky's Minimalist Program.

When one English major said that the tree diagrams reminded her of calculus and that she did not like calculus, the professor told her that calculus is very important and that every college student should have some knowledge of calculus.

All of the English majors walked out of the class during the break and never came back. Only Linguistics majors (me included) remained.

That is quite intresting!

 

[Chesterton]

Congratulations, Maria!

 

[MariaRegina]

Well, I do not know that I passed the test, but I have a good feeling about it.

I had time to go back and revise my essays until I felt that they were successful in meeting the objectives.

Thanks.