From: BrettMan35@webtv.net (Brett Robertson) Date sent: Wed, 2 Jun 1999 22:33:51 -0500 (EST) To: virus@lucifer.com Subject: Re: virus: The naming of parts. was RE: virus: Technology (was manifest science) Send reply to: virus@lucifer.com
> Joe: ...words and their meanings are arbitrarily paired...
>
> Me: If this were true, no two people could use words to communicate.
>
They are arbitrarily paired, then everybody sharing a particular
language learns to use the same arbitrary pairing for the new word
from the context in which it appears, and teaches it to their
offspring. Get it? What's more, the sound pattern half of these
pairings changes with the passage of time (it's called linguistic
drift). Why should those things on our feet be called shoes?
Because some place in the far distant past, someone started
calling them something from which over time the specific sound
pattern of 'shuu' has emerged.
>
> Brett Lane Robertson
> Indiana, USA
> http://www.window.to/mindrec
> MindRecreation Metaphysical Assn.
> BIO: http://members.theglobe.com/bretthay
> ...........
> Put your item up for auction! Bid on hot opportunities! Click HERE to
> view great deals!:
> http://www.utrade.com/index.htm?MID=59876
>
>