Re: Khoisan is very old

Peter T. Daniels <grammatim@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1175523641.060043.162350@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Apr 2, 9:40 am, "Paul J Kriha" <paul.nospam.kr...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Peter T. Daniels <gramma...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
messagenews:1175516086.685735.27010@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[...]

Language shift takes place over several generations at the least.
Populations do not "switch" to a new language.

Oh, okay. Do I understand you correctly? The speakers of
Upper and Lower Lusatian did not _switch_ to German, they
_shifted_?

Is it, then, your claim that one day, all the Upper and Lower
Lusatians enrolled in the Berlitz School and a few weeks later, had
given up their native languages and communicated in German forever
after?

Don't bite my head off. I wasn't trying to claim anything at all.
It took centuries for all Lusatians to switch to German.
I picked that example on purpose and asked a serious
question because I wanted to know what is a correct term
for that process.

pjk

P.S. But then, drats, I said "switch" again.


.

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