Thank you, Peter - for the first time in years, I find we two share some measure of agreement. Perhaps this planet your people and mine inhabit may yet be saved.:-) mg
>Brian on 05/29/2003 09:37:31 AM: > >> Why is Ethnologue flawed? > >Because: > >1. research that has gone into it has only been going on for 50 years with >limited manpower, not 150 with unlimited manpower; > >2. linguistic and sociolinguistic change is on-going, and it is difficult >to keep research current on all of the change that occurs (see 1); and >especially > >3. language as a phenomenon does not occur in discrete, sharply defined >categories, but involves a large number of possible parameters of >variation; hence, any attempt to enumerate "languages" must be the result >of a process of analytical abstraction that merely approximates reality >(but is still useful, and is done because in practical terms organisations >must conduct their business in terms of a finite list of entities rather >than an all-but-endlessly variable continuum). > >As John Cowan said, any aspiration of a flawless catalogue of languages is >a pipe-dream; and I'd also add, it's naive. > >- Peter > > >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- >Peter Constable > >Non-Roman Script Initiative, SIL International >7500 W. Camp Wisdom Rd., Dallas, TX 75236, USA >Tel: +1 972 708 7485 -- Marion Gunn * EGT (Estab.1991) * http://www.egt.ie * fiosruithe/enquiries: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * [EMAIL PROTECTED] *
