Monkey Business/Pidgin (was Re: Twin speak)

T S Heoh wrote:

>I observed this in two of my cousins, who has taken our local Malaysian
Hokkien-English-Malay pidgin to extremes by incorporating words, phrases,
and even sound effects from video games. Although I can still understand
them if I listened hard enough, another older cousin of mine has no idea
what they're talking about 90% of the time. <<SNIP>>
My theory is that specialization causes two close people to develop a
lingo "optimized" for communication with minimal fluff; this lingo could
include things we would normally consider as extra-lingual such as sound
effects imitations, etc., and would drop out unnecessary grammatical
baggage. Given enough time, this could diverge enough from its source
language(s) that it might start appearing like another language
altogether.<

 Interesting theory... and I have been reading more about sign language and
experiments with signing apes (Koko the Gorilla, various chimpanzees).
There seems to be just this "optimized lingo" going on in these
language-experiments with higher primates... seems that if the
experimenter(s) have gained a rapport with the ape, the more the ape seems
to want to communicate (if not, the ape may not be so interested in
communicating with the cold, aloof _non-social_ - from the ape's perspective
- scientist).
 One can compare the success Francine Patterson has had with Koko...
compared to the lacklustre experimentations of Herbert Terrace with Nim
Chimpsky...

   * Koko the Gorilla website: http://www.koko.org/koko

 In the more successful ape language-experiments, it seems that a lot of
ideas of language are called into question. Two that come to mind:
 a) does language separate humans from apes?
 b) Is syntax (word order) the only crucial "test" of language-useage?

 The first question I think has been answered partly by the more successful
ape language experiments.
 The second I believe is still open (I believe that the communicative and
interactive aspects of language are quite often overshadowed by the various
linguistic theories that espouse syntax as the only crucial element or voice
of language). This question - if answered - may mean a re-definition of
"language."

 The real _aliens_ amongst us maybe these signing primates...

  czHANg

<< One thing foreigners, computers, & poets
have in common is that they make
unexpected linguistic associations. >>
    * Jasia Reichardt
    - creative cyberneticist *





_______________________________________________________
Say Bye to Slow Internet!
http://www.home.com/xinbox/signup.html