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Re: BUDDHA: What about those Eskimo words for snow?
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Subject: Re: BUDDHA: What about those Eskimo words for snow?
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Date: Wed, 31 Jul 1996 13:04:29 +1000
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cc: timbomb@gum.dstc.edu.au, Keith Duddy <dud@dstc.edu.au>, Dr Nigel Ward <nigel@dstc.edu.au>, Andrew Wood <woody@dstc.edu.au>, markp@cs.uq.oz.au, warwick@cs.uq.oz.au, murray@cs.uq.oz.au, Ted Phelps <phelps@dstc.edu.au>, Miss Kathleen <bigk@cs.uq.oz.au>, "Erik van Keulen (ADM)" <E.VANKEULEN@central1.library.uq.oz.au>, anti@cs.uq.oz.au, michaeln@cs.uq.oz.au, Andrew Moran <andrew@cs.chalmers.se>, Nigel Pearn <ennpearn@mailbox.uq.oz.au>, smillie@merlin.anu.edu.au (Jon Smillie), Jason.Richards@trendcomms.com, dleach@chat.carleton.ca, Lois Fordham <lois@dstc.edu.au>, Ian Obrien <s184910@student.uq.edu.au>, Darryl Rosin <d.rosin@qut.edu.au>, kjross@cs.uq.oz.au, Larry Stewart-Zerba <larry@cs.uq.edu.au>, m.lawley@gum.dstc.edu.au, chester@bukula.enternet.com.au, Keith Whitwell <keithw@ozemail.com.au>, Andrew Horton <Pest23@aol.com>, Diane Owerkerk <ouwerkd@dpi.qld.gov.au>, wild@cs.uq.oz.au, Felicity Boevink <bccpcu@peg.apc.org>, Diana Cassidy <n1830201@student.fit.qut.edu.au>, bill@gum.dstc.edu.au, arnold@gum.dstc.edu.au, lgough@gil.ipswichcity.qld.gov.au, "Eastwell, Sarah L" <EastweS@prose.dpi.qld.gov.au>, taylor@gum.dstc.edu.au
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In-reply-to: Your message of "Wed, 31 Jul 1996 12:36:15 +1000." <199607310236.MAA11933@gum.dstc.edu.au>
Tim Mansfield wrote:
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>Sorry, bit of a blitz today, I just couldn't resist this...
>--------
>
>>From the sci.lang FAQ:
>
>16. What about those Eskimo words for snow?
> (and other myths about language)
for those who are interested, the following event seems on topic....
VISIT OF PROFESSOR GEOFFREY PULLUM
Geoffrey Pullum, Professor of Linguistics at the University
of California, Santa Cruz, is currently visiting the English
Department as Brooks Lecturer. He will be giving the following
seminars:
[ Other interesting, but less relevant stuff elided ]
FRI 2 AUG, 1 P.M. Michie Building, Room 540.
The many truths of the many Eskimo words for snow:
a look at the actual facts and their implications.
The many truths of the many Eskimo words for snow.
Almost every educated person has read or heard somewhere
or other that `the Eskimos' have X many words for snow,
for some fascinatingly large value of X, and that this is
meant to be significant in some way for something or
other about language, cognition, perception, worldview,
culture, categorization, primitive peoples ... But
everyone who publishes this claim gives a different value
for X! In this talk I reveal the astonishing range over
which this myth has spread, and then proceed to do what
has never seriously been done in previous discussions of
the issue: I look at the actual facts from several of the
eight Yupik and Inuit languages.
Cheers,
Mark (your friendly cyberNetically-enhanced pseudo-linguist)
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Mark Pedersen | email : markp@cs.uq.oz.au | http://student.uq.edu.au/~s303080
"When freedom destroys order, the yearning for order will destroy freedom."
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