Slashdot Mirror
The Evolution of Language
TaeKwonDood writes "We all know language has evolved but mathematicians are trying to take how it has changed in the past to predict what it will be like in the future." From the article: "Mathematical analysis of this linguistic evolution reveals that irregular verb conjugations behave in an extremely regular way -- one that can yield predictions and insights into the future stages of a verb's evolutionary trajectory," says Lieberman, a graduate student in applied mathematics in Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and in the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, and an affiliate of Harvard's Program for Evolutionary Dynamics. "We measured something no one really thought could be measured, and got a striking and beautiful result.""
Those were quotes from Dr. Nibley, a really smart guy. He was fluent in atleast 10 languages, could read more, and studied ancient languages and culture. He quotes from other really smart people, and cites loads of evidence to the point I made. I gave references in my post. Read the essay if you think I'm full of crap. It is of note that he (and I) are from a religious background, and do not believe that man evolved into its current form, but was instead created.
Nevertheless, there is no evidence that language evolved. Where is the incremental improvement? It is nowhere. The only stuff we have is *fully formed language*. Nothing inbetween. Just immediate language.
No-one who believes in creationism has any right to be regarded as a scientist. Fact. End of.
Oh, come on! Can't /. go twenty-four hours without someone taking a stab at intelligent design? That wasn't even brought up by anything...
</rant>
<sig> </sig>
Wasting time criticizing it?
<sig> </sig>