<Language> Re: Caucasus and Kaska

[Patrick C. Ryan]

Dear Claire and EvolLinguists:

-----Original Message-----
From: Claire Bowern <C.Bowern at student.anu.edu.au>
Date: Monday, January 25, 1999 7:24 PM

>Re Hubey's posting and the moderator's comments

<snip>

>1) frozen accidents (i.e. initial conditions)
>2) system characteristics
>3) external forces

> is something students learn in first year linguistics. It is a principle
>well known.

If linguistics really took "initial conditions" into realistic
consideration, we would have been spared the pouring of much ink!

Pat