Re: Language Change

daniel andreasson wrote:
>
> Markus Miekk-oja skrev:
>
> > I don't think the taboo lasts for alot more than one
> > generation...if not they tell their kids "Never, ever
> > say these words: Eve, Ed, Bill, Eric, Anne, Alain,
> > Roland, Marcus, ...
>
> Why would they? If no one uses those words, the kids never
> hear them, they won't learn them and probably won't go around and
> say them. Unless they spontaneously come up with new
> words just for fun and one of them happens to be
> a taboo word. Which is kinda unlikely.
>
I was going to mention this too, but then I realized that Markus also
specified that this applied to a group who had also mastered the art of
writing (it's snipped in Danny's reply and I no longer have the original
message), so if the kid reads it, he'll learn the word, and maybe say
it, etc.  We're talking about Australian aboriginal languages, right?
*Did* they have a written language as well?

Nicole
--
nicole.eap@snet.net
http://nicole.conlang.org
--
"They look like white elephants," she said.
"I've never seen one," the man drank his beer.
"No, you wouldn't have."