dialect in novels

[Salikoko Mufwene]

At 11:08 AM 3/2/2001 -0500, Bob Fitzke wrote:
>By all means. The exceptions all arise out of a common ancestor, i.e.,
>"the rule".
>
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)?

Sali.

>Salikoko Mufwene wrote:
>>
>> At 09:14 AM 3/2/2001 -0500, Bib Fitzke wrote:
>> >Or, perhaps, when enough of the exceptions coalesce to form a new
>> rule
>> >of their own; sort of a "rule within a rule". A type of speciation?
>> >
>> "Speciation" presupposes some sort of common evolutionary history, a
>> sort of divergence after evolving together. Would that be the case
>> here?
>>
>> Sali.
>>
>> **********************************************************
>> Salikoko S. Mufwene                        s-mufwene at uchicago.edu
>> University of Chicago                      773-702-8531; FAX
>> 773-834-0924
>> Department of Linguistics
>> 1010 East 59th Street
>> Chicago, IL 60637
>> http://humanities.uchicago.edu/humanities/linguistics/faculty/mufwene.html
>> **********************************************************
>
**********************************************************
Salikoko S. Mufwene                        s-mufwene at uchicago.edu
University of Chicago                      773-702-8531; FAX 773-834-0924
Department of Linguistics
1010 East 59th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
http://humanities.uchicago.edu/humanities/linguistics/faculty/mufwene.html
**********************************************************
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