[Mihalic] RE: Approach by Oxford University Press

[Peter Cotterell]

Mr O'Farrell -
While I have not been actively contributing to the Mihalic web site, I would
still very much like to meet with you in Lae when you are here in March. I
have lived most of my working life in PNG and consider myself a fluent
speaker of Tok Pisen. I have also recently started to pursue a study career
in linguistics and I am currently preparing a dissertation for 2004 on
concurrent pragmatic development in TP and PNG English. My interest in this
field is to give consideration as to how transfer (possibly) creates or is
responsible for the English variety used in urban PNG. This I hope will one
day be part of an honours thesis. Unfortunately, there are only a few
linguists in Lae; the others that I know of are at the university of
technology. I will certainly pass on the details of your intended visit to
those whom I know would be interested. However, of course, I have no idea of
what your plans are nor if you have already planned any meetings.
I look forward to hearing from you.

Peter Cotterell
MApplLing (TESOL), PGCertTESOL
Lae,
Papua New Guinea


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ray O'Farrell" <rayofarrell at hotmail.com>
To: <JohnEllissenBurton at hotmail.com>; <Mihalic at anu.edu.au>
Cc: <pmuhlhau at hotmail.com>; <ndegroot at online.net.pg>; <pgesch at dwu.ac.pg>;
<Irene.Sawczak at oup.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2003 8:43 PM
Subject: [Mihalic] RE: Approach by Oxford University Press


> Dear John et al
>
> Thank you for this email. It represents Oxford's position quite well and
I'd
> like to add the following points:
>
> First: I want to underscore that fact that Oxford University Press is not
in
> the business of plagiarism. We do not publish someone's work without their
> agreement and anyone whose work is reproduced by the Press will be
credited
> and acknowledged in a proper manner.
>
> Second: Oxford has a long histroy of publishing for PNG, and we have long
> felt that it is time for the Press to publish an Oxford Dictionary of Tok
> Pisin, and indeed, time for Tok Pisin to have a modern Dictionary as a
> standard reference for the language.
>
> Third: it is unusual for a compiler of manuscript not to want that
> intellectual property made available to a wide audience through the
> publication of a book. Whatever concerns you have, may I please ask that
you
> air them fully and frankly with  me.
>
> Fourth: my next visit to PNG is planned for March. Irene Sawczak  from
> Oxford, will join me on that trip. We fly to Moresby on Sunday 21 March,
and
> the draft itinerary is to spend the nights of Sun, Mon and Tues in
Moresby,
> Wed night in Goroka, Thurs night in Lae, Fri night in Madang, Sat night in
> Moresby, and fly back to Australia on Sunday 28 March. We would be very
> pleased to meet whoever may be in Moresby, Goroka, Lae or Madang while we
> are there,
>
> My best wishes to everyone for a safe and peaceful Christmas and New Year.
>
> Ray O'Farrell
> Oxford University Press
> Representative agent: PNG and The Pacific
>
>
> >From: "John Burton" <JohnEllissenBurton at hotmail.om>
> >To: <Mihalic at anu.edu.au>
> >CC: "'Ray O'Farrell'"
>
><rayofarrell at hotmail.com>,<ndegroot at online.net.pg>,<Irene.Sawczak at oup.com>,
<pmuhlhau at hotmail.com>,<pgesch at dwu.ac.pg>
> >Subject: Approach by Oxford University Press
> >Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2003 09:56:46 +1000
> >
> >Folks
> >
> >Don Niles of the Institute of PNG Studies recently met the regional
> >representative for Oxford University Press, Ray Farrell, in Port
> >Moresby, and has put him in touch with me. The substance of (brief)
> >discussions so far is that Oxford is interested in publishing two Tok
> >Pisin dictionaries in the near future.
> >
> >* a Tok Pisin Study Dictionary - a 'learner's style work matching other
> >dictionaries in Oxford's Study Dictionary series
> >* the Revised Mihalic - our project, a longer and more comprehensive
> >work
> >
> >I will forward future correspondence to the list. My concerns so far are
> >that the efforts of all contributors are protected and acknowledged.
> >This particularly applies to the suppliers of specialised lists,
> >concordances and the like, and the previous collaborator with Mihalic,
> >Peter Mühlhäusler, who was very anxious at the outset that we did not
> >plagiarise his marked-up manuscript dating to c1979.
> >
> >I have given an assurance to Mühlhäusler that we would protect his and
> >his wife's work and one means of doing so has been to advise him that
> >his publications are comprehensive enough that we have our work cut out
> >consulting them and that only when we have exhausted them, and of course
> >given source attibution in the usual way, will we turn to the
> >manuscript.
> >
> >Although there are issues to resolve, I am very pleased that Oxford has
> >made this approach. I have advised that we are plodding rather than
> >rushing along, but that we conceive of trying to organise a conference
> >at Divine Word University, Mihalic last home in PNG, as the next step
> >after completing a first pass of the (old) headwords.
> >
> >What does everybody think?
> >
> >Pat Gesch - any comments?
> >Peter Mühlhäusler - any comments?
> >
> >All the best for the festive season
> >John Burton
> >
> >
>
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