Re: Is language development evolutionary, or designed by the culture?

"Neeraj Mathur" <neemathur@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in news:d8nsdn$hh8$1
@news.ox.ac.uk:

(snip)

>
> Phonological changes and syntactic changes are not molded by eolutionary
> forces in a Darwinian sense (that the most useful variations sruvive - I
> suppose that's what you meant), nor are they designed consciously by any
> people.
>
>
Wouldn't you think that both phonological and syntactical adaptations would
occur in mixed language[1] environments and that what survived would be
that which came easiest, (i.e. the most useful for both groups[2])?


[1] Think about Viking invasions and settlements amongst the Angles and
Saxon speaking people as well as the French influence from Normandy.

[2] Of course, relative size of groups would play an important part, I
would think, in which language would tend to dominate.

--
David Wright Sr.

To find the end of Middle English, you discover the exact date and
time the Great Vowel Shift took place (the morning of May 5, 1450,
at some time between neenuh fiftehn and nahyn twenty-fahyv).
Kevin Wald
.