Derek, Thank you very much for all the comments!
>While it is a seductive idea linguists have to find any evidence in >favor of the Worf-Sapir hypothesis. However, progress does seem >to be being made on a weaker form of this hypothesis. Yes, sorry, I was too lazy to write it in a correct way. I am aware of the details of the Slobin's work on the thinking[for-speaking, and have read Lera Boroditsky's recent work on the topic. The opinion you share about the expertise is interesting, I agree with it is some way, although in some sense it is a question of words used. Unfortunately, I cannot read the link.. Cn you see it? (maybe there is some problem with my browser... I checked, I can read pdf files from other sites...) With best wishes, Olga. >So, do you think that it takes long time to acquire a certain level of >mastership? >Do you know any research how software developers learn and progress in >programming? Your questions beg the questions of what is mastership and how is progress measured. I would argue (around page 99 of www.knosof.co.uk/cbook/sent1.pdf) that software engineering is not a field in which it is possible to become an expert (whether the conditions will ever exist for it to be possible is another question). Progress might be measured by the extent to which your bosses are willing to entrust you with resources to carry out/lead some software development task. Success in performing these tasks is often claimed as a measure of expertise. Of course all it really proves is that you: o have sufficient expertise to perform the job (which might not have required very much), o you have very competent minions and your incompetence was insufficient to cause the project to fail, o in a competitive situation you were the least incompetent, o worked for a company that was willing to continue throwing money at the project until it worked. >Yes, I've been discussing the opportunity of the study you've described - the >crosscultural differences in programming. That would be very interesting and >helpful for commercial software companies. Hopefully, I'll try to work on that >kind of study later... Being a native speaker of Russian with contacts in that country puts you in an ideal position to carry out such work. I have heard various stories about how Russian programmers do things differently. I don't know whether they did things differently because they were native Russian speakers, or whether being Russian was a convenient label. derek -- Derek M Jones tel: +44 (0) 1252 520 667 Knowledge Software Ltd mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Applications Standards Conformance Testing http://www.knosof.co.uk ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PPIG Discuss List ([email protected]) Discuss admin: http://limitlessmail.net/mailman/listinfo/discuss Announce admin: http://limitlessmail.net/mailman/listinfo/announce PPIG Discuss archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/discuss%40ppig.org/ -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.7.2 - Release Date: 3/11/2005 -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.7.3 - Release Date: 3/15/2005 <ň+ şË ŠË]ŠÇ.˛ĘiŠ +€8¬rë,i٢žm§˙ĺŠh•ë,™¨Ąťë™¨Ą™©˙–+-Šwčýجrë,yčşw i٢žm§˙ĺŠh•ë,™¨Ąťë™¨Ą™©˙–+-Šwčý©ç˘éÜxóČ8¬rë,j·!Š÷ˇ¶Ú˙ 0™¨Ąj·!Š÷ś˘oÝŠÇ.˛Î4¦? ˘¸?
