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Re: THEORY: Re : Re: Re : THEORY: Natural language change (was Re: Charlie and I)

From:Charles <catty@...>
Date:Tuesday, September 21, 1999, 21:38
>From Http://Members.Aol.Com/Lassailly/Tunuframe.Html wrote:
> > "the guy who i usedta date his sister comma is angry now" > > ^^^ ............. ^^^ ...... ^^^^^ > > > one natlang does so : indonesian : >=20 > "orang YANG saya biasa meminang kakak perempuan-NYA ITU > man WHO i use_to date younger_brethren female-HIS END >=20 > dia marah semarang." > he angry now.
You've been there and done that too.
> use of juxtaposition to express general genitive ? and the > absence of tense ? and of article ? and they don't even have > a word for "sister" !
Yes, I stole all those ideas already. Any more?
> chinese do sort of, but at least they've got tones and ideograms > to make it look scientific.
Their books are tremendously compact, too. But ideograms are difficult in email.
> > I think the comma is the coolest device of all, but it is neglected. > > I can almost-just feel a tone-lang coming.
> any (stress) natlang is a tone lang (tone) in that regard.
OK, but people have to sing. So how about 5 tones? Like, a =E1 =E0 =E3 =E2 or such.