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Department News

  • Two dissertation proposals in one week! (Liz Coppock last Tuesday and Doug Ball today) That's a record. Did you first-years know that we take attendance at dissertation proposals?
  • It appears that Lauren Hall-Lew narrowly escaped merger with a certain Lauren Squires at the recent Interdisciplinary Conference on Culture, Language, and Social Practice hosted by CU-Boulder. Check out the near encounter HERE.
  • Welcome back to Diane Jakubowski, who is started today as a member of the department staff. Diane is going to replace Gretchen while she's away on maternity leave.
  • Quote of the Week: `You all remember my beautiful donkeys...' uttered by Adrian Brasoveanu during last Friday's seminar.
  • Rumor has it that Elizabeth Traugott is off to Freiburg to teach for a few weeks. More about that as we find out details...


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    Look Who's Talking

    Chizuru Ito is giving a paper at the upcoming 17th Japanese Korean Linguistics Conference being hosted by UCLA. Her paper is titled: Argument Unification and Sharing: The Syntax of the Quasi-Existential Construction.

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    Linguistic Levity

  • Like many of you we used to believe that birds are stupid. But we have found some disturbing evidence to the contrary: HERE.
  • These are called 'imponderables'... (I'm still wondering why)
    • I planted some bird seed. A bird came up. Now I don't know what to feed it.
    • I had amnesia once -- or twice.
    • I went to San Francisco. I found someone's heart. Now what?
    • Protons have mass? I didn't even know they were Catholic.
    • All I ask is a chance to prove that money can't make me happy.
    • If the world were a logical place, men would be the ones who ride horses sidesaddle.
    • What is a "free" gift? Aren't all gifts free?
    • They told me I was gullible and I believed them.
    • Teach a child to be polite and courteous in the home and, when he grows up, he'll never be able to merge his car onto the freeway.
    • Experience is the thing you have left when everything else is gone.
    • One nice thing about egotists: they don't talk about other people.
    • My weight is perfect for my height -- which varies.
    • I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.
    • The cost of living hasn't affected its popularity.
    • How can there be self-help "groups"?
    • If swimming is so good for your figure, how do you explain whales?
    • Show me a man with both feet firmly on the ground, and I'll show you a man who can't get his pants off.
    • Is it just me--or do buffalo wings taste like chicken?

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    Goings-On

    For events farther in the future consult the Upcoming Events Page.

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    Blood needed!

    The Stanford Blood Center is reporting a shortage of O-, O+, A-, A+, B-, and AB-. For an appointment: http://bloodcenter.stanford.edu/ or call 650-723-7831. It only takes an hour of your time and you get free cookies. The Blood Center is also raising money for a new bloodmobile.

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    2 November 2007
    Vol. 4, Issue 6



    IN THIS ISSUE:
    Sesquipedalian Staff

    Editor in Chief:
    Ivan A. Sag
    .
    Reporters:
    Beth Levin
    Laura Whitton

    Humor Consultants:
    Susan D. Fischer, Tom Wasow

    Assistant Editor:
    Richard Futrell

    Inspiration:
    Melanie Levin and Kyle Wohlmut