Ed Heil wrote:
> But surely it's not true that there is a unidirectional tendency
> towards loss of irregularity? If that were so, we'd all have
> wondroudly regular languages by now.
I think the natlangs ARE wondrously regular and logical.
But we waste disproportionate effort with needless exceptions.
There are tendencies making language more ornate as well,
and probably many others orthogonal to both.
> I suspect that on the contrary
> languages tend to lose irregularity and suppletion under stress
I don't think creolization is a normal means of simplification.
A true creole only seems to arise following major disaster.
A pidgin like the Lingua Franca might arise out of "tourist talk".
I just wish we had something more presentable to alien visitors.