Frank Masingill on "A Philosophical Question" with Fredric Rice...
 FR>> While we're engaged in philosophical debate about fictional characters,
 FR>> how many cultists in this forum would like to argue that learning more
 FR>> than one language is contrary to the wishes or desires of their gods?
 FR>> After all, in the Christanic mythologies, the pantheon of deities
 FR>> created a multitude of languages specifically to keep humanity
 FR>> ignorant. When we learn to speak alien languages, aren't believers in
 FR>> the Christian gods in direct discord with the desires of their deities?
 FR>> I would be interested in learning if there are other gods and goddesses
 FR>> which were also responsible for the multitude of languages.
 FM>    There's a direct challenge you've set up for yourself.  Perhaps you
 FM> could, in all of your superior wisdom give us the specific, scientific
 FM> reason why homo sapiens has been for so long and for the foreseeable
 FM> future locked into a multiplicity of languages?
For the foreseeable future? I'm not sure about that Frank. With the advent of 
global communications it would seem we are heading down a road of unification 
of languages, and to be quite honest, I think that would be a major step 
forward to a closer knit world community.
 FM> You are asked to move
 FM> beyond the myth into a straight scientific explanation of this
 FM> phenomena.  Don't get sidetracked into gods and devils and pantheons,
 FM> just give us the straight truth.
Let me give you a scenario that will display a mechanism of language 
evolution:
We take a single population and isolate them on two island, cut then off from 
the rest of the world and each other and allow them to evolve. They have no 
further contact with anyone not of their own island. We wait from a couple of 
hundred years, to maybe a thousand or two and then we go back to the islands 
to see how they speak. We find that the languages have evolved in two 
different directions. Why would this be do you think?
You might find "The Language Instinct" by Steven Pinker (ISBN 0-14-017529-6
[Penguin] 8.99ukp) to be an excellent non-technical grounder in the mechanics 
of language evolution and structure if you have further interest.
 FM>    I'm sure you can do that, Frederic or, if you can't, like Andrew
 FM> Cummins, you can call us some names.   You DO agree with Andrew that
 FM> we're all a bunch of numbsculls do you not?  I've yet to see a civil
 FM> post from you yet.  Is there hope?
I've yet to see Fred resort to mere name calling myself. In fact I'd go 
further and say that I've yet to see a message from Fred that was not dealing 
with a specific point. You might not like his style, but who wrote a rule 
book for it?
However, what goes on between him and yourself is no concern to me really and 
I should stay out of your obviously personal conflicts.
    Relatif Tuinn
... "Bother," said Pooh as he led an attack against the Cylon command
    ship.
--- Spot 1.3a #1413
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