Clicks

[Francis M Hult]

I will not venture a guess on the reason for clicks.  I would be curious to know the 
reasons for the 'spooking game' hypothesis, though.

As far as DNA markers go, they may be indicators of a genetic population which I suppose 
could map on to a speech community.  Thinking along these lines, one might 
suggest that linguistic features within such a population could develop through natural 
processes of language evolution.  This might be what the author of the article suggests.  
There are, of course, countless potential problems with this line of thinking.

Francis 

----- message from Ronald Kephart <rkephart at unf.edu> -----

> Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2006 20:11:43 -0500
> To: linganth-list <linganth at cc.rochester.edu>
> From: Ronald Kephart <rkephart at unf.edu>
> Subject: [Linganth] Clicks
> X-URPMX-Version: 4.7.1.128075, Antispam-Engine: 2.1.0.0, Antispam-Data: 2006.03.27.155108
> Precedence: bulk
> 
> All,
> 
> In the March 2006 issue of National Geographic (yeah, I can hear the 
> groans), there's an article on the migration of human DNA out of 
> Africa. And on page 66, there's this:
> 
> "The San communicate with clicks to keep from spooking game-- a 
> feature that is also found in languages spoken by other African 
> groups who carry ancient DNA markers."
> 
> So.... two questions:
> 
> (1) Do any serious linguists believe that the San or their ancestors 
> chose to put clicks in their languages to keep from "spooking game"?
> 
> (b) Is the implication warranted that because the San carry "ancient 
> DNA markers" therefore unusual features of their language, such as 
> clicks, are therefore also vestiges of the ancient language spoken by 
> their ancestors?
> 
> Ron
> 
> PS: I'm not going to write to the National Geographic; I tried that 
> once, years ago, and was told more or less to "bugger off, we're the 
> National Geographic and we know everything."

----- End forwarded message -----