Campbell's def. of "language"

[Larry Trask]

Ed Selleslagh writes:

[snip examples]

> So, according to Campbell: Spanish = Italian, and West-Flemish or Limburgish
> do not belong to the same language as Holland Dutch.

Wonderful, Ed, wonderful!

But, in fairness to Campbell, let's recall that his definitions were never
intended to be universal: they were only a policy designed to let him get on
with his book on American languages.

Still, Ed's examples are a superb counter to any attempt at raising mutual
intelligibility to universal status as a criterion for drawing language
boundaries.

Larry Trask
COGS
University of Sussex
Brighton BN1 9QH
UK

larryt at cogs.susx.ac.uk