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Re: Constructed natlangs (Re: Pronounlessly)

From:Nik Taylor <fortytwo@...>
Date:Friday, February 12, 1999, 15:19
Orjan Johansen wrote:
> This leaves one to wonder: maybe the clicks in African languages once > started as a language game as well? For that matter, maybe all languages > have conlang elements.
Well, in as far as there is no such thing as a totally "natural" language, I agree. English, for instance, contains elements which were essentially created by prescriptivists, and *every* language has a perceived "best" dialect. I suspect that ever language probably has some prescriptivists, and people modifying their own speach to fit what they perceive as better. But, I doubt that clicks in African languages is anything like that, it most likely evolved naturally. Perhaps starting from co-ordinate stops (e.g., kt --> !). -- "It's bad manners to talk about ropes in the house of a man whose father was hanged." - Irish proverb http://members.tripod.com/~Nik_Taylor/X-Files ICQ: 18656696 AIM Screen-name: NikTailor