Newsgroups: sci.lang
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From: mcv@inter.NL.net (Miguel Carrasquer)
Subject: Re: Language and genes
Message-ID: <D0KCFM.EEt@inter.NL.net>
Organization: NLnet
References: <634@percep.demon.co.uk> <D02y75.K2n@inter.NL.net> <3bihbv$40t@amy13.stanford.edu> <D0Inu0.39x@nntpa.cb.att.com>
Date: Fri, 9 Dec 1994 21:45:21 GMT
Lines: 33

In article <D0Inu0.39x@nntpa.cb.att.com>,
R.EDWARDS(HOY002)1305 <rte@anchor.ho.att.com> wrote:
>>In article <D02y75.K2n@inter.NL.net>,
>>Miguel Carrasquer <mcv@inter.NL.net> wrote:
>>>Precisely because of the slow nature of genetic evolution, our brains,
>>>articulatory and auditory apparatus have been essentially the same
>>>for the last 100,000 years or more.  
>
>I believe the transition to HSS begins only about 125 ky ago, and was 
>not compete (whatever that means) until 50 ky ago, or even later.
>It is entirely possible, even probable (my feeling, not science)
>that we are in a cusp of evolution.
>How do you know there has not been significant change in average language
>ability in the last 25 ky, for example?  This seems hard to show to me.
>

I don't "know" that this is the case, obviously.  It's a feeling I
have, based on what we do know.  We can compare Classical Latin with 
the Romance languages: that's what 1000/2000 years will do.  Mycenaean
Greek with Modern Greek: that's 3000 years.  Opinions differ on
Indo-European: time-depths of 5000 to 10,000 years have been
proposed.   Whether one believes in Nostratic, Eurasiatic, Proto-World
or none of the above, Indo-European can hardly be completely unrelated
to any other language family in the world: doubtlessly connections with 
other neighbouring language families must exist.  It's very hard
to compare IE and Uralic personal pronouns, for instance, without
feeling that they are somehow connected.  That should take us quite
close to the 25,000 years you mention above.

-- 
Miguel Carrasquer         ____________________  ~~~
Amsterdam                [                  ||]~  
mcv@inter.NL.net         ce .sig n'est pas une .cig 
