Sociological Linguistics

[Patrick C. Ryan]

Dear Nik and IEists:

 ----- Original Message -----
From: Nik Taylor <fortytwo at ufl.edu>
Sent: Friday, June 04, 1999 11:58 PM

Nik wrote:
Besides which, this hypothetical proto-language would have to be spoken
by beings of sub-human intelligence.  People of human intelligence can
quickly create fully developed languages, as in the evolution of creoles
from pidgins, and the spontaneous development of sign languages such as
ISN (Idioma de Signos Nicarag|ense), which literally evolved out of
nothing when deaf people were placed together, and is now a fully
developed language (with a small vocabulary, of course).  Speech used by
sub-humans is DEFINITELY had no "modern parallel"


Pat responds:
Tell that to the "Wolf Boy".

[ Moderator responds:
  These two situations are different:  The "Wolf Boy", like Genie, grew up in
  isolation, unexposed to human communication; the Nicaraguan deaf who created
  ISN were placed together, and were aware of communication around them.  Both
  in turn differ from the evolution of Language from an opened-out call system
  to modern-style Language, the stage which you hypothesize you can recall by
  examining modern languages and applying your intellect, a stage which indeed
  has no modern parallel.
  --rma ]

Pat

PATRICK C. RYAN (501) 227-9947; FAX/DATA (501)312-9947 9115 W. 34th St.
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