CHAT: gender of conlangers (was FW: Lunatic Lovers of Language )

--- On Fri, 25 Sep 1998 14:20:40 -0300  Pablo Flores
<fflores@...> wrote:
>
>1. "Women are better with language, men are better with spatial/physical
>structures" is not a cliche. As for language, the brain structures in women
>and men are remarkably different. At least that's what scientists say. I
>don't know if there's also been any research about the spatial capabilities
>of men and women, but empirical tests do show a difference. Now, whether
>that is natural or cultural, it's impossible to know so far.
>From my work as a therapist "Brain Sex" is perhaps the most commonly
misunderstood aspect of modern neurology.

What the studies have actually shown is that a person with a large "X"
area in their brain will be adept at skill "Y". On the whole *most*
people with a large "X" area will belong to a particular gender, however
what the studies have shown beyond any doubt is that a large "X" area
is not *exclusive* to that gender, only *uncommon* in the other one.

This is the irony of "Brain Sex" studies, they've shown that it is totally
illogical to discriminate on the grounds of what is between some ones' legs
and yet it is commonly assumed that genital sex and brain sex will always
match and thus discrimination has a biological justification.

The truth is that a persons' "Brain Sex" is likely to be mixed and few, if
any folk, have a 100% "male" or "female" brain. Thus, when it comes to
excellent language skills, all CONLANGERS probably have "female" brains :-).

<throw cat among pigeons: await result>

Regards

Baba

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Barbara "Baba" Barrett   b@rbara: baba ba:r;et

E-mail: fikhduv@patrol.i-way.co.uk
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