convergence

[Jon Aske]

There is an interesting article on evolutionary convergence in the
NYT's science section this week that reminded me so much of what some
functionalists/typologists are saying about language (as opposed to
what some formalists/nativists are saying).

http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/science/121598sci-evolve.html

The following quote seemed perfect for a book on functional typology:

"Convergences keep happening because organisms keep wanting to do
similar things, and there are only so many ways of doing them, as
dictated by physical laws."

--Dr. Rudolf A. Raff, evolutionary developmental biologist at the
Molecular Biology Institute of Indiana University in Bloomington.

Jon
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Jon Aske
Salem State College, Salem, Massachusetts
email: Jon.Aske at salem.mass.edu
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No matter how far you've gone down the wrong road, turn
back. --Turkish Proverb.