Re: Chinese & Maya writing systems

From: Harlan Messinger (hmessinger.removethis_at_comcast.net)
Date: 08/29/04 

Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2004 17:12:35 -0400

Yuri Kuchinsky <yuku@trends.ca> wrote:

>Harlan Messinger wrote:
>>
>> "Yuri Kuchinsky" <yuku@trends.ca> wrote in message
>> news:412E2E99.A8B049A5@trends.ca...
>> > Harlan Messinger wrote:
>> > >
>> > > Yuri Kuchinsky <yuku@trends.ca> wrote:
>> > >
>> > > >
>> > > >Some people here are interested in serious discussion,
>> > > >rather than in juvenile attempts at humour.
>> > >
>> > > Every time someone tells you, seriously, why the relationships you see
>> > > are bogus,
>> >
>> > I wasn't talking about the relationships. Rather, I was
>> > talking about the similarities.
>>
>> Unless one is at least theorizing a relationship, why would it be
>> interesting that there are similarities? Why would anyone bother to report
>> it? Of course there are similarities--each language's consonantal inventory
>> is only just so large, and we readily map consonants from one language to
>> another. It's like walking into a room and seeing that the two other people
>> in the room are both blond with blue eyes and tattoos, and getting excited
>> about it, and running home and telling your family about it, and talking
>> about it at work the next day--as though there are so many different eye and
>> hair colors and so few people with tattoos that the presence in the same
>> room of two blond, blue-eyed people with tattoos must have some deep
>> significance.
>
>All people are related in one way or another... And the
>Native Americans are generally related to Asians. These
>particular similarities may help to clarify such
>relationships further.
>
>Seems pretty obvious to me...

There *may* be a relationship between the two people in the doctor's
office. But without any more information than that, it's much, much,
much more likely that there isn't. Likewise with your lists. 

-- 
Harlan Messinger
Remove the first dot from my e-mail address.
Veuillez ๔ter le premier point de mon adresse de courriel.

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  • Re: Chinese & Maya writing systems
    ... >> Unless one is at least theorizing a relationship, ... Why would anyone bother to report ... >> in the room are both blond with blue eyes and tattoos, ... >particular similarities may help to clarify such ...
    (sci.anthropology)