Re: Language superiority, improvement, etc.

At 05:51 PM 10/15/98 +0800, you wrote:
>Michael A. Rouse wrote:
>
>> If the ultimate point of language is to convey information and >
communicate,
>
>Please define "communicate".
Communication is the transfer of information between two or more organisms,
often with the intent to induce similar states of thought between the
members of the group -- or to use an analogy,
thinking:individual::communication:group.

>
>> then the best language for an individual is the one that allows him, in the
>> finite span of his lifetime, to communicate and receive the maximum amount
>> of information.
>
>Doesn't language have other, *very* important functions? ["Nice weather,
>isn't it?""Yes, it certainly is."] exchanges, IMHO, don't really convey
>a whole lot of information beyond stating the obvious, but they do serve
>a definite, useful purpose in fostering social cohesion.
Actually, the subtext for such an exchange in our society -- and the
information conveyed -- can be "I've noticed you, fellow human being, and
perhaps you are available for communication," with the response, "I notice
you in turn, and agree to communicate." The literal meaning is not all the
information being transmitted.

> People in
>emotional stress often need to "talk it out" - the message itself may be
>totally illucid, convoluted, and devoid of any real "information" -
>indeed, the receiver of the "message" hardly need do anything other than
>*be* there to "listen" - but language plays a crucial psychological
>function here.
If no information is being processed or transmitted, the person might as
well shout "BLARG! MFLGIB! ZNARTNIK!" followed by a primal scream. I don't
see where language would be necessary. (Of course, talking to oneself often
helps process information; perhaps I should say that the best language is
the one that allows the maximal rate of processing and transferring
information ;-)

>
>In some of the above examples I've given, I don't see where swiftness,
>survivableness, and concision serve any purpose.
Perhaps not in the above examples, but I daresay if a piano was approaching
terminal velocity over your head, the language that had the quickest way to
say "run away!" would be the most likely to be passed on to your children.
Presumably, evolution can select for language just as well as any other trait.

Michael A. Rouse
mrouse@cdsnet.net