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Pastimes : SI Grammar and Spelling Lab -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Rambi who wrote (798)	1/21/1998 8:41:00 PM
From: Thom A. Shulok	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 4710

Hi Penni, Predictive Linguistics, a fascinating and useless diversion devoted to the study of phonetic evolution. Alternatively, the study of the interaction of the competing forces of ambiguity and the lazy tongue (and other associated phonic equipment). If ambiguity weren't a problem, we'd all just grunt to each other (and at one time, that was enough). As society became more complex, so did the language, with a varied complement of phonemes, some easier to execute than others. People have a natural tendency to take the easiest phonic route that will still properly convey their message, and this can be easily seen in the shortening or words disgorged from the technological realms: photograph::photo, facsimile::fax, telephone::phone. Clipping, contractions, and acronyms are straightforward, but it gets more interesting to analyze troublesome adjacent phonemes. A good example is the -ng ending. The proper enunciation of the "g" is a lot of work, especially when there is little chance for ambiguity, so it has been slowly eroded over the past 100 years. The predictive aspect of all this arises when you find situations where the prospect of ambiguity is low compared to the requisite phonic effort. Those are the most likely erosion spots. Theoretically, a lingual purist could craft new words that would increase the chances for ambiguity and thus "shore up" these endangered words. Thom PS Yep, a Hokie, in the feather, though I seem to be missing an ear or two...