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Historical linguist claims that language controls the speakers: Darwinism in linguistics

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Jonathan Morris
Jonathan Morris  Identity Verified
French to English
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Hoary old theory Aug 6, 2010

Sounds like a retread of Schleicher's theory about language being a symbiotic organism which 'inhabits' the brain. If you actually look at changes in Swadesh lists between say Latin and the Romance languages, you find that the main motor of change is not phonetic change but internal borrowing and that this is rather limited once you take into account that these languages were descended not from Ciceronian classical Latin, but from vulgar Latin as she was spoke.
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 12:40
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
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What controls what Aug 6, 2010

ProZ.com writes:
Historical linguist claims that language controls the speakers.


When you drive a car, you're not really in control of the car. Instead, the car controls you. Don't believe me? Take this test: have you ever tried going where the car doesn't want to go?
 


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Historical linguist claims that language controls the speakers: Darwinism in linguistics







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