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From: ruffwork@orstcs.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: Why can't my cat talk?
Message-ID: <849@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU>
Date: Mon, 2-Nov-87 13:44:40 EST
Article-I.D.: orstcs.849
Posted: Mon Nov  2 13:44:40 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 6-Nov-87 00:20:36 EST
References: <11967@decwrl.DEC.COM> <1697@cognos.UUCP>
Reply-To: ruffwork@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU.UUCP (Ritchey Ruff)
Organization: Oregon State University - CS - Corvallis, Oregon
Lines: 17
Summary: counterexample to "crystallization period" theory

In article <1697@cognos.UUCP> roberts@cognos.UUCP (Robert Stanley) writes:
>In article <11967@decwrl.DEC.COM> glantz@yippee.dec.com (26-Oct-1987 2000)
>	   writes:
>>  ...during which basic linguistic ability can be acquired would be limited
>>  to this ``crystallization'' period...
>If it can be shown that feral children re-introduced into society *cannot*
>acquire natural language skills after they are a certain age...

It seems that Helen Keller would be a counter-example to the 
"crystallization period" theory, as she was a deaf and blind "feral"
child but was "educated" LONG after the normally 
hypothesized "crystallization period".  She could have just been an
exception, but...

--ritchey ruff
	Internet: ruffwork@cs.orst.edu
	UUCP: { hp-pcd | tektronix }!orstcs!ruffwork