Re: prodrop and meteorologic verbs


Bertilo Wennergren skribis:
> dmitri:
>
> > yes, petro i realize that. but according to this "principle" if a
> > non-prodrop language doesn't use a dummy subject, then it violates some
> > UG rule and hence isn't a "real" language.
>
> We should however keep in mind that our knowledge about UG is still very
> incomplete.

Clarification requested: UG = universal grammar?

[...]

> I don't think any linguists are pooh-pooh-ing Cape Verde Creole (=
> Crioulo). As far as I know real* linguists don't pooh-pooh any human
> languages.
>
> Esperanto has native speakers so it should be classified as being just
> as real as any other language, and thus all traits of Esperanto should
> be taken into account when we map the limits of UG (and not seen as
> being exceptions to pooh-pooh). Many languages without native speakers,
> namely pidgins, are today being studied just as any other real
> languages, not being pooh-pooh-ed at all any more.

Any linguist who "pooh-poohs" a languages is simply making a personal
and therefore a non-significant judgement and therefore deserves only
our sympathy for his/her intellectual incapacity to appreciate any
particular language and its inherent ability to transmit thought
effectively. This linguist evidently has strayed into the
"prescriptive" instead of remaining safely in the "descriptive" terrain
of typical linguistic exploration.

This linguist wouldn't happen to be Justin B. Rye (of 2001's "Learn not
to speak Esperanto" fame), now employed and teaching his subjective
fallacies, would it? ;-)

> (* If there are both real and unreal languages, I suppose that there are
> also real and unreal linguists.)

Touché!

rB

.

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