it’s been fun teaching this class. i’d do it again any time. here’s my final:
Language & Humor
Final Exam
Spring 2008
Choose one question from each category. Answer each question thoroughly in one page or less. Please write legibly, since I won’t be able to grade it otherwise. Provide thoughtful analysis and examples where necessary or appropriate.
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for Dan Sanford’s 490/590 seminar: Formulaic Language.
i had to pick two out of these four:
What is the difference, with respect to idioms, between compositionality and conventionality? Why is it a mistake to confuse the two?
How are the questions of whether or not idioms are compositional, and whether or not they’re metaphorical, related?
Nunberg, [...]
Today I lost my mind on Twitter and pointed out some often misused words & punctuation marks. For posterity, I will enumerate them again here, having wiped off the overtones of condescension and annoyance.
1. Apostrophe use: some simple guidelines.
Apostrophes do not mark plural. [...]
to explain the data in the last post:
Ruth E. Cisneros | LING 590 | Formulaic Language
Formulaic Language & Humor:
An overview of idiomatic language usage in comedy
I. Introduction
The initial focus of this paper was to explore the intersection between formulaic [...]
Formulaic Language & Humor:
I. Judy Grimes, Travel Writer – Use of “just kidding:”
II. Nick Fehn, Political Humorist – Use of many idiomatic expressions:
III. Chocolate – acting out of a language chunk:
McCreery, John L. 1995. Negotiating With Demons: The Uses of Magical Language. American Ethnologist. Vol. 22, No. 1. 144-164.
first way of reading transcription of an incantation by a Taoist healer in Taipei is as text. However, “dislocated from this primary context, assertions about the significance of particular words or phrases are dubious at best.” [...]