Re: [tied] Re: Creole Romance? [was: Thracian , summing up]

At 6:00:28 AM on Monday, June 30, 2003, tgpedersen wrote:

>>>> The language was chosen because was the only living
>>>> one. The fact that choice was made at a definite moment
>>>> has nothing to do with language's continuity over the
>>>> time and does not imply any fracture point in its'
>>>> evolution.

>>> More credo's.

>> No, it's a statement of fact: there *is* no such
>> implication. The fact that the choice was made at a
>> definite point in time is consistent with both continuous
>> development and an abrupt fracture. It's the *rest* of
>> the evidence that points decisively towards continuous
>> development.

> My brain must be an outdated model, it can't follow you
> here.

Or won't. Look at a straightforward analogy. Irish
spelling shows a sharp break at some point in the 20th
century (sorry, but I forget the exact year); Irish
pronunciation doesn't. The choice to reform the spelling
was made at a specific point in time; the changes that
prompted the reform were gradual and took place over
centuries.

Brian