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From:
Valerie Sutton Date: Tue Dec 14, 1999 8:30 pm Subject: Re: writing legs & feet | |
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Fernando wrote: >Dear Val, would you say a language "evolves" or just that it "randomly >changes over time"? I would say that, despite all random >changes over time (that are actually noise instead of signal), there may >be some lines of evolution that may be identified (for >instance like that from pictograms to Rebus to syllabaries to Greek-Roman >alphabet). If we agree on that, would you say that each >language is a phenomenon completely particular or that languages may share >some features and dimensions? (for instance the >strategy they use to represent the sounds of language). In that case, >wouldn't you agree it might be profitable to compare the way >they change over time along those dimensions? I am not trying to adopt >Procustus's maneuver and say that we should adopt the same >criteria to all languages. I am just saying that such an heuristic >exercise may yield fruitful hypotheses and refreshing >discoveries, at least more than those accruing from assuming that each >language is a completely separate phenomenon in itself. >:-) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hi Fernando and Everyone.... Of course those are fascinating studies in the linguistic field, you are right ;-) I just come from a different world, since I am not a linguist. But we do share the love of watching the natural evolution of languages and writing systems...as you will see later, I will be showing the SW List the evolution of writing compounds in SignWriting... I guess from my perspective, "older" does not necessarily mean more "sophisticated, it simply means "older"...that is all. Sometimes, when I am working with Deaf people, I have noticed that some Deaf people can feel hurt, when linguists judge one signed language as being more sophisticated than another. That was what I was thinking about... And meanwhile, the freer, more "Full-Body" signed languages are more fun to write in SignWriting! So writing legs and feet does have some value in some situations - Thanks for your great input, and all the fine work you are doing in Brazil! Val ;-) |
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