[saiph]

Ave Caesar & Everybody.

I checked around for a similar topic, but found none, so here you are, peeps. Before you start throwing stones, let it be to my excuse that it is not my own idea - it's my professor's.

I am a graduating senior at ELTE University, Budapest, Hungary, and am doing my Thesis on mobile phones. I'm trying to decypher HOW people try to comprehend what a mobile/cell phone is. I and the team will do this by deriving it from your speech, the way you people speak about mobiles: what you liken it to, what human/nonhuman characteristics you give it, how you antropomorphize it, etc, etc. Lots can be derived from the slang words you utilize in connection with mobiles - this is the specialty of cognitive linguistics, our field of study.

The research I'm conducting comprises a cross-linguistical and a cross-dialectal project as well: the queries that we use to generate statistics are distributed among Hungarian, American and British speakers of English for the time being. If you help us map your thoughts and ideas concerning mobile phones, we might even get to do a grand scale program embracing other languages like Spanish, French, German, and even Russian, etc.

So, first and foremost, I would like to throw this topic into deep water and see if it floats - what is a mobile like to you?
If you feel you want to help us get the subtle picture, come and fill out my short query at
ww.geocities. com/i_m_poison_ivy/Thesis. html

If you do fill it out, that'll be great help, but any info whatsoever is welcomed!
- Do you think this is a vain assail or a brave expedition?
- How can we improve this little enterprise?
- Did you like the query? What would you add?

Thanks for all the comments, and especially the help & advice, in advance!
Saiph

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› See More: Cognition: What is a mobile to you?

[saiph]

Oh, forgot to add the extra good news!

A Canadian colleague came across this little university thesis project, and since his theme also relates to cellphones, he has decided to aid me & the team in our assail... So, it looks like we might just get a Canadian Query beside the British and the American ones in the English section!
Thanks again for all your help!

I never thought people would be this interested, but I've been asked by many Hungarians and even English speakers to share the results of the thesis queries. You'll find my email on the Query site above - just drop me a line, and I'll gladly show you what we ended up with!

My fave up till now:
"A mobile phone is like... a Swiss knife. When I buy it, I already know that I'm not going to use half of its functions..."

[saiph]

oh c'mon... you wrote a thesis once - have some sympathy! Fill it out, gimme comments... or at least send me to H*ll and back