I find Herb's answer with its pragmatic distinctions quite sufficient. None of the sentences are non-standard. It reminds me of a translation exercise that I composed as a first year teacher of HS French in a grammar-translation class. Take "Did John send Mary a basket of flowers yesterday?" and, based on stress and supersegmental phonemes in English, translate the sentence in as many ways as you can support. Good students would do at least eight French sentences, lesser ones, only six or seven. Scott Catledge -----Original Message----- From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of ATEG automatic digest system Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 12:00 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: ATEG Digest - 25 Jun 2009 to 29 Jun 2009 (#2009-157) There are 3 messages totalling 183 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. haw 2. Teresa Lintner is out of the office. 3. question To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 29 Jun 2009 07:44:46 -0400 From: Chris Carnevali <[log in to unmask]> Subject: haw Sent from my iPhone To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:01:38 -0400 From: Teresa Lintner <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Teresa Lintner is out of the office. I will be out of the office starting 06/26/2009 and will not return until 06/30/2009. I will be checking my email periodically. To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:53:50 -0700 From: Cynthia Baird <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: question --0-1640892176-1246334030=:96121 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I'll own up to my non-standard roots. I find "whose wallet is this?" pefect= ly natural.=A0 Don't tell my students. --- On Thu, 6/25/09, STAHLKE, HERBERT F <[log in to unmask]> wrote: From: STAHLKE, HERBERT F <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: question To: [log in to unmask] Date: Thursday, June 25, 2009, 8:06 AM Ana, The questions differ pragmatically.=A0 "Whose wallet is this" presupposes t= hat we all know it's a wallet but the speaker doesn't know the owner.=A0 Th= e typical response would be "It's mine" or "Mine."=A0 "Whose is this" would= elicit similar responses.=A0 Specifying the wallet in the first variant is= a way of foregrounding wallet perhaps so that the question gets more atten= tion.=A0 "Whose is this wallet" would also likely get the same sort of resp= onse, but it makes "wallet" new information.=A0 A speaker might do this if = it's not obvious that the object is a wallet.=A0=20 It's always possible to provide a variety of contextual rationales for vari= ations like these, beyond the obvious ones I've suggested, but the point is= that the differences are dependent on discourse context, that is, on what = the speaker knows and assumes that the hearers know. Herb -----Original Message----- From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask] OHIO.EDU] On Behalf Of Ana Cervantes Sent: 2009-06-24 18:14 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: question Dear all, This is the first time I write, but I've been following your insightful discussions and debates for a while. I need your help with the following questions: "Whose wallet is this?" "Whose is this wallet?" "Whose is this?" (wallet) Are all three options right? Most importantly; Why? Thank you very much for your help Ana M. Cervantes Peru To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface = at: =A0 =A0=A0=A0http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface = at: =A0 =A0=A0=A0http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ =0A=0A=0A To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ --0-1640892176-1246334030=:96121 Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <table cellspacing=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" border=3D"0" ><tr><td valign=3D"= top" style=3D"font: inherit;">I'll own up to my non-standard roots. I find = "whose wallet is this?" pefectly natural. Don't tell my students.<BR>= <BR>--- On <B>Thu, 6/25/09, STAHLKE, HERBERT F <I><[log in to unmask]><= /I></B> wrote:<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE style=3D"PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(= 16,16,255) 2px solid"><BR>From: STAHLKE, HERBERT F <[log in to unmask]>= <BR>Subject: Re: question<BR>To: [log in to unmask]<BR>Date: Thursday= , June 25, 2009, 8:06 AM<BR><BR> <DIV class=3DplainMail>Ana,<BR><BR>The questions differ pragmatically. = ; "Whose wallet is this" presupposes that we all know it's a wallet but the= speaker doesn't know the owner. The typical response would be "It's = mine" or "Mine." "Whose is this" would elicit similar responses. = ; Specifying the wallet in the first variant is a way of foregrounding wall= et perhaps so that the question gets more attention. "Whose is this w= allet" would also likely get the same sort of response, but it makes "walle= t" new information. A speaker might do this if it's not obvious that = the object is a wallet. <BR><BR>It's always possible to provide a var= iety of contextual rationales for variations like these, beyond the obvious= ones I've suggested, but the point is that the differences are dependent o= n discourse context, that is, on what the speaker knows and assumes that th= e hearers know.<BR><BR>Herb<BR><BR>-----Original Message-----<BR>From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:<A href=3D"http://us.= [log in to unmask]" ymailto=3D"m= ailto:[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]</A>] On Behalf Of = Ana Cervantes<BR>Sent: 2009-06-24 18:14<BR>To: <A href=3D"http://us.mc563.m= [log in to unmask]" ymailto=3D"mailto:A= [log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]</A><BR>Subject: question<= BR><BR>Dear all,<BR><BR>This is the first time I write, but I've been follo= wing your insightful<BR>discussions and debates for a while. I need your he= lp with the following<BR>questions:<BR><BR>"Whose wallet is this?"<BR><BR>"= Whose is this wallet?"<BR><BR>"Whose is this?" (wallet)<BR><BR><BR>Are all = three options right?<BR><BR>Most importantly; Why?<BR><BR>Thank you very mu= ch for your help<BR><BR>Ana M. Cervantes<BR>Peru<BR><BR>To join or leave th= is LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at:<BR> <A href=3D"http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html= " target=3D_blank>http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html</A><BR>and = select "Join or leave the list"<BR><BR>Visit ATEG's web site at <A href=3D"= http://ateg.org/" target=3D_blank>http://ateg.org/</A><BR><BR>To join or le= ave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at:<BR> = <A href=3D"http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html= " target=3D_blank>http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html</A><BR>and = select "Join or leave the list"<BR><BR>Visit ATEG's web site at <A href=3D"= http://ateg.org/" target=3D_blank>http://ateg.org/</A><BR></DIV></BLOCKQUOT= E></td></tr></table><br>=0A=0A To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" <p> Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ --0-1640892176-1246334030=:96121-- ------------------------------ End of ATEG Digest - 25 Jun 2009 to 29 Jun 2009 (#2009-157) *********************************************************** To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/