tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Jan 26 19:04:14 1996

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Re: "Native Speakers"

Hovjaj 96061.7 ghItlh Doq:

>I find it highly likely that native speaking children would have proper
>grammar while their non-native speaking parents do not. I see this on a
daily
>basis in Israel, where I live--the immigrant parents speak non-idiomatic,
>non-grammatical Hebrew, the children are letter perfect and full of slang.
>
>Can't wait to see what the first generation of native tlhIngan-Hol speakers
>is like...

I've been following the "native speakers" conversation with a little
confusion.  I'm no linguist (even though I've always wanted to play one on
TV), but I can't help thinking that the phenomenon of children learning a
language correctly while their parents have an imperfect grasp of it is due
to their having contact with many other sources of the language.

I've just reread that sentence, and I think I should summarize!  Don't they
learn the correct usage from other sources?  For example: TV, friends,
passers-by.  Even at an early age, there must be a great deal of language
input.

If I am correct, then how can you have "native" speakers come out of a
culture which does not use Klingon at all?  There would be no cues, no
encounters with someone from that language.  The only chance is to rely on
the human instinct for language.  But then doesn't it become a human
language, rather than one with Klingon forces at work behind it?  I'm having
a little trouble expressing this idea.  Does anyone understand what I'm
getting at?

SuStel
Hovjaj 96068.7

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