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To: Lurking Libertarian
is unfazed by criticism but glad he has tenure.

So is Noam Chomsky.

13 posted on 11/05/2005 12:54:10 PM PST by narby (Hillary! The Wicked Witch of the Left)
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To: narby

I have always loved Noam Chomsky's name. It took me half a semester to realize the prof was really saying Noam and not Norm with an Eastern accent. LOL!

Actually, wasn't it Chomsky who said a baby's babbling contains every sound necessary to speak any language in the world. This can be interpreted as evolutionary, because of the way languages emerged in the different parts of the world. (It means that German babies aren't born with just the ability to speak German, they are born with the ability to speak any language.)

After a baby learns the language necessary to communicate with the people around him, the baby eventually loses the ability to speak other languages. That might be why it is often more difficult for an adult to learn a new language.

The way the different languages became separate and developed around the globe is very fascinating. Now the languages are becoming more similar because more communication is available and everyone needs to speak the same language (English)

Speech also evolves over time.


64 posted on 11/05/2005 8:12:25 PM PST by phantomworker (All roads lead back to Rome. Boldness has genius, power &magic in it..Begin your dissertation now!!)
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