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Re: Why grammar is so complex a subject

From:R A Brown <ray@...>
Date:Saturday, December 31, 2005, 18:57
Andreas Johansson wrote:
[snip]
> > I was in no way addressing this argument, only pointing out the lack of > precision in Ray's statement,
....which I have acknowledged.
> but for the record I quite agree. Humans seem to > be neurologically hardwired to acquire and use language - that sort of complex > adaptions simply do not arise overnight.
But as far as I can see *no one* has actually disagreed with that. Indeed, in at least two of my previous emails I stated quite explicilty that I considered the development of language to be an _evolutionary_ process. I just do not understand why there is constant reference to language arising overnight. All I took issue with was the comic book stereotype of hunter-gatherer saying "me see tiger". I really do not understand why questioning a comic book stereotype is taken to mean that I hold the barmy notion that language developed overnight - especially as I explicitly said at least twice I considered the process to be evolutionary!!!! The reason I suggested this part of the thread might be closed is that I do not like being misrepresented. This is positively _my_ very last word on this unfortunate subject - I do not wish to go into 2006 with this aspect of the thread. Good-bye 2005! HAPPY NEW YEAR! -- Ray ================================== ray@carolandray.plus.com http://www.carolandray.plus.com ================================== MAKE POVERTY HISTORY