Here's what I have so far. I have about 20 more questions to repair, but this should suffice to give you an idea of what I have in mind and get started. Thanks a lot for helping with this! Here are some things I'd like to have in the online version of this survey: --the questions occur in random order, but the same order each time a given person accesses the survey. --A unique identifier for each question, which isn't affected by the order in which the questions occur for a given person. --The option to save the person's responses even if they aren't done yet, so they can come back and finish it later. (I assume this will require them picking an ID or something like that?) --An open-ended comments box for each question. --Multiple choice, in the sense that they can select more than one option for a given question. Now here's the actual thing: The shm-reduplication survey Bert Vaux, Andrew Nevins, and Elissa Flagg Instructions We are interested in the process, called "shm-reduplication", that produces expressions like "fancy shmancy" from "fancy", and "bagel shmagel" from "bagel". (Many claim that this process comes from Yiddish, but Yiddish does not actually have it. The Oxford English Dictionary claims that English has extracted the process from the numerous Yiddish words that being with s(c)hm- and have negative implications.) Though not all speakers of English are familiar with shm-reduplication, it does show up frequently in the popular media. Some examples: --Time, schmime, said Pappa irritably. (Isaac Asimov, Second Foundation) --(person A) I have to tell you, madam, that your son is suffering from an Oedipus complex. (person B) Oedipus, Schmoedipus! What does it matter so long as he loves his mother? (apocryphal) --Buffy: So what's the plan? Xander: Plan-shman, let's mount up. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) --Breakfast?! Breakfast Schmreakfast, look at the score for God's sake. It's only the second period and I'm winning twelve to two. Breakfasts come and go Rene, but Hartford, the Whale, they only beat Vancouver maybe once or twice in a lifetime." (Mallrats) --dreadlocks schmeadlocks (In Living Color) --gravity-schmavity (Wonderbra advertisement) --group schmoup, bring on the formal wear! (Best in Show) --planet schmanet (Rocky Horror Picture Show) Some meanings and usages that people have associated with shm-reduplication: --Negate, deride, dismiss, or diminish whatever was just said --Reject or deny the importance of the word that undergoes shm-reduplication: [person A] I can't come, I'm too old. [person B] Old, schmold! You can't get out of it that easily. --Reassure, or downplay a situation/problem/occurrence which is potentially overwhelming/threatening and/or to lighten a situation with humor by "pretending" to dismiss it. Many English speakers do not have intuitions about how to use schm-reduplication productively, but if you are one of those people who *does* have such intuitions, we would like to know how you would apply schm-reduplication to the nouns, verbs, adjectives, and states of the world provided below. Please type your entry into the text field below each entry. In some of the more difficult cases we provide two or more choices; please indicate which of these sounds best to you. (If more than one sounds acceptable, please mark both; if you prefer a form we haven't listed, please include this in the "Other" box.) One last tip: we want to know what sounds best to you and you would actually use. We are not interested in what the forms *should* be according to some conscious rule you may have read, learned in school, or heard from an authority figure. Please contact anevins@mit.edu or vaux@fas.harvard.edu if you have comments, questions, clarifications, or technical problems. Person A: Dude-check out all the functions my new watch has. Person B: Functions, _____! You lame-ass, who cares about your expensive baubles! [then give a set of options with radio buttons or whatever you call them] shmunctions other nothing sounds good here Person A: I don't like her paintings-they're obscene. Person B: Obscene, _____! She's an artist, she'll paint what she wants! obshmene shmobscene other nothing sounds good here Person A: I like 'em rich. Person B: Rich, _____! All that matters is how cute they are. shmich smich shmrich smrich other nothing sounds good here Person A: You know what we really need? A cookie cutter. Person B: Cookie cutter, _____! We have enough kitchen utensils! cookie shmutter shmookie cutter shmookie shmutter other nothing sounds good here Person A: I get really bored when I run. Person B: You should try taking a Walkman with you, so you can listen to music while you're running. Person A: Walkman, _____! Those damn things are always running out of batteries, and they look dorky! shmalkman shmwalkman shmalkshman walkshman shmwalkshman other nothing sounds good here Person A: John's such a slacker! You can tell he's been sleeping all afternoon instead of working-look at him wiping the gunk out of the corners of his eyes. Person B: You make it sound so disgusting! My mother told me that it's sand that the Sand-man puts there while you're sleeping. Person A: Sand-man, _____! Whoever it is that puts it there, we still call it "eye shit" where I come from. shmandman shandman sandshman shmandshman other nothing sounds good here Person A: Chris, you should really be more careful with your money. Whenever you get any, you spend it on ganja. Person B: Do not! I always put my cash in the cookie jar, and then when there's enough I send it home to my parents. Person A: Cookie jar, _____! I know where the money's really going, you dope fiend! shmookie jar shmookie shmar cookie shmar other nothing sounds good here Person A: You know who should run this country? Donald Rumsfeld. Now there's a political stud. Person B: Donald Rumsfeld, _____! That guy's a major tool, and even worse, he's in bed with Motorola and General Dynamics. Shmonald Rumsfeld Donald Shmumsfeld Donald Shmrumsfeld Shmonald Shmumsfeld Shmonald Shmrumsfeld other nothing sounds good here Person A: Dear, you'd better stop squandering our money on golf clubs. Jacob wants a laptop, and you owe him big-time after embarrassing him in front of his friends by getting Chumbawumba to play at his bar mitzvah. Person B: Jacob wants a laptop, _____! That spoiled brat has enough junk already, and Chumbawumba were ahead of their time! Jacob wants a shmaptop Jacob wants a shmapshmop Shmacob wants a laptop Shmacob wants a shmaptop Shmacob shmants a shmaptop other I don't like schm-reduplicating the whole sentence