Re: glossogenesis (was: Indo-European question)

> Date:         Sun, 24 Jun 2001 10:57:18 -0700
> From: Tommie L Powell <tommiepowell@...>
>
> On Sun, 24 Jun 2001 Lars Henrik Mathiesen wrote:
> >
> > We know that full-featured grammars form in one generation.
> > Read any book about creoles.
>
> We know that full-featured grammars form in one generation
> if the people forming them already speak languages that have
> full-featured grammars.  No creole has been created without
> that "bootstrap" aid (and neither has any conlang).
The creole grammar is formed by the children trying to acquire a first
language in a pidgin-speaking community. In what sense do those
children already speak a language with a full-featured grammar?

The pidgin-speaking adults have nothing to do with it --- although
they presumably do command another language, the point is that the
creole is formed because the various native grammers cannot be used by
the adults (because they aren't shared) and therefore the children
aren't exposed to them.

Lars Mathiesen (U of Copenhagen CS Dep) <thorinn@...> (Humour NOT marked)