Date: Thu, 24 Feb 1994 14:57:59 -0500

From: Martha Howard UN106005[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]WVNVAXA.WVNET.EDU

Subject: Student research



Reminded by notice in NADS 26.1 of teaching techniques, including involvin

students in research of the research project carried out by one of my

students on existence or lack thereof of regional variation in college

slang. One of her questions was, "What term do you use for celebrating

on Friday afternoons when classes are over and the weekend has begun"

Her hypothesis was that the term used on the West Virginia University campus

was unique to this campus. The term, used by all WVU celebrants, is

"jiffing"--a verb made from the acronym TGIF. After sending questionnaires all over the country, and finding no use of the term at all, she prepared her final

draft, only to receive a late return from an informant at Bennington, who

calmly announced, I use jiffing. Devastated to see her hypothesis blown out

of the water, she set about some detective work and after two weeks of

investigation finally located the informant, whose name she had not known.

She burst into my office, shouting, "She grew up in Morgantown and started

jiffing when she was at Morgantown High." Now, please send your students

outtomorrow to go jiffing! martha howard (a friend of archie's--no

capitals)