Piraha

[Wilson Gray]

Isn't "They can count only to two" an antiquated fallacy, based on a
misunderstaning of the way that the culture uses number, that was
first applied to the languages of Australia a century ago? I seem to
remember a discussion of this claim as a fallacy in Pei's book, The
Story of Language. Of course, I am more than aware that no "real"
linguist takes anything that ol' Mario has to say seriously. I first
heard his ideas shat upon by barracks-mates at the old Army Language
School back in 1960.

And yes, I have read Colapinto's article.

-Wilson

On 4/18/07, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
> Subject:      Piraha
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Cause your linguistics students to read John Colapinto's "The Interpreter" in the current  _New Yorker_ (Apr. 16).
>
>   It's about the Amazonian people whose language only counts to two. Many other odd linguistic and sociolinguistic elements are described also.
>
>   JL
>
>
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All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
                                                      -Sam'l Clemens

"Experience" is the ability to recognize a mistake when you make it again.

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