Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!network!ucsd!usc!apple!bridge2!csi!nsc!voder!berlioz!andrew
From: andrew@berlioz (Lord Snooty @ The Giant Poisoned Electric Head )
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: How fast can one learn a language? (Re: IQ is not static ...)
Summary: exotic but real behaviour
Message-ID: <623@berlioz.nsc.com>
Date: 12 Aug 89 19:01:56 GMT
References: <3800@csd4.milw.wisc.edu> <4552@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu>
Organization: National Semiconductor, Santa Clara
Lines: 21

In article <4552@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu>, lee@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu (Greg Lee) writes:
> From article <3800@csd4.milw.wisc.edu>, by markh@csd4.milw.wisc.edu (Mark William Hopkins):
> \  How fast can a human being master the basic essentials of a human language?
> About 4 years of relatively single-minded effort.
> \... I believe that it is possible to accquire ..., and basic syntax in 1 day.
> Wow.  How did you get it so wrong?  I wonder what you mean by "basic
> essentials".  How to name?  How to predicate?  Modify?  Quantify?

Think of a child transplanted at, oh, the age of eight to a foreign
country with his/her family. Friends of mine have seen their children 
become relatively "fluent" after about six months. For children who have
relatively few inhibitions and a normal childish curiosity this is
probably par for the course.

None of the children questioned knew much about special relativity, though
:-)
-- 
...........................................................................
Andrew Palfreyman	There's a good time coming, be it ever so far away,
andrew@berlioz.nsc.com	That's what I says to myself, says I, 
time sucks					   jolly good luck, hooray!