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At 11:08 AM 3/2/2001 -0500, Bob Fitzke wrote:<br>
>By all means. The exceptions all arise out of a common ancestor,
i.e.,<br>
>"the rule".<br>
><br>
<font size=4>How come? Exceptions are exceptions because a rule did/does
not cover them in the first place. Are you suggesting that exceptions are
(necessarily) divergences from an earlier evolutionary stage when they
were covered by the same more general rule? Do speakers really acquire a
language by rules or are rules essentially a by-product of how analysts
want to account for linguistic behavior (i.e., the behavior of
speakers)?<br>
<br>
Sali.<br>
<br>
</font><font size=3>>Salikoko Mufwene wrote:<br>
>><br>
>> At 09:14 AM 3/2/2001 -0500, Bib Fitzke wrote:<br>
>> >Or, perhaps, when enough of the exceptions coalesce to form
a new<br>
>> rule<br>
>> >of their own; sort of a "rule within a rule". A
type of speciation?<br>
>> ><br>
>> "Speciation" presupposes some sort of common
evolutionary history, a<br>
>> sort of divergence after evolving together. Would that be the
case<br>
>> here?<br>
>><br>
>> Sali.<br>
>><br>
>> **********************************************************<br>
>> Salikoko S.
Mufwene
s-mufwene@uchicago.edu<br>
>> University of
Chicago
773-702-8531; FAX<br>
>> 773-834-0924<br>
>> Department of Linguistics<br>
>> 1010 East 59th Street<br>
>> Chicago, IL 60637<br>
>>
<a href="http://humanities.uchicago.edu/humanities/linguistics/faculty/mufwene.html" eudora="autourl">http://humanities.uchicago.edu/humanities/linguistics/faculty/mufwene.html</a><br>
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Salikoko S.
Mufwene
</font><font color="#800080">s-mufwene@uchicago.edu<br>
</font><font color="#800000">University of
Chicago
</font><font color="#800080">773-702-8531; FAX 773-834-0924<br>
</font><font color="#800000">Department of Linguistics<br>
1010 East 59th Street<br>
Chicago, IL 60637<br>
</font><font color="#000000"><a href="http://humanities.uchicago.edu/humanities/linguistics/faculty/mufwene.html" eudora="autourl">http://humanities.uchicago.edu/humanities/linguistics/faculty/mufwene.html</a><br>
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