14.2532, Disc: Re: Genetic clicks?

[LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List:  Vol-14-2532. Tue Sep 23 2003. ISSN: 1068-4875.

Subject: 14.2532, Disc: Re: Genetic clicks?

Moderators: Anthony Aristar, Wayne State U.<aristar at linguistlist.org>
            Helen Dry, Eastern Michigan U. <hdry at linguistlist.org>

Reviews (reviews at linguistlist.org):
	Simin Karimi, U. of Arizona
	Terence Langendoen, U. of Arizona

Home Page:  http://linguistlist.org/

The LINGUIST List is funded by Eastern Michigan University, Wayne
State University, and donations from subscribers and publishers.

Editor for this issue: Sarah Murray <sarah at linguistlist.org>
 ==========================================================================
To post to LINGUIST, use our convenient web form at
http://linguistlist.org/LL/posttolinguist.html.
=================================Directory=================================

1)
Date:  Tue, 23 Sep 2003 19:01:06 -0400
From:  Marc Hamann <marc at hamann.ca>
Subject:  Re: 14.2531, Disc: New: Genetic clicks?

-------------------------------- Message 1 -------------------------------

Date:  Tue, 23 Sep 2003 19:01:06 -0400
From:  Marc Hamann <marc at hamann.ca>
Subject:  Re: 14.2531, Disc: New: Genetic clicks?

At 06:45 PM 9/23/03, Christopher Bader wrote:
>Two (perhaps geographically proximate) languages share a distinctive
>phonological feature.  This feature is typologically unusual.
>Therefore, the two languages are genetically related.

My reading of the article was somewhat different.

The phenomenon under discussion was more paralinguistic: a system of
clicks that hunters used to communicate during the hunt when normal
speech might scare off prey.

Apparently two widely separated ethnic groups with no known linguistic
or other affiliation use a similar system.

As is not unusual with headlines, I didn't get the impression that it
was well chosen, as there wasn't "genetic" anything being considered
that I could discern, other than the lack of genetic affiliation
between the groups.

Actually, I'm not sure there was really a story there at all...

Marc Hamann


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
LINGUIST List: Vol-14-2532