dialect in novels

[Bob Fitzke]

I think an exception can only arise if there is something from which it
is excepted. Exceptions to a rule have no "status" without a rule in
place from which they deviate. My thought was simply that possibly
enough exceptions (to a rule) of a similar nature can be identified so
as to constitute a new rule in and of themselves. For example, there are
a number of exceptions to the hearsay rule in law. One of the categories
of exceptions is business records. This is a somewhat fluid group and,
in effect, is open-ended. Thus, the business records exception has
become a sub-rule and might even be considered as a rule of evidence all
by itself.

Bob

Salikoko Mufwene wrote:
>
> 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
> **********************************************************