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On Tue, 13 Jul 1999 18:01:45 GMT, mattdm@mattdm.org (Matthew Miller) wrote:
> Steve Bliss <blisses@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
> > It also means there are 50 thousand rules to learn, and 50 million
> > exceptions to those rules.
>
> Luckily human beings are very good at that. In fact, the rules seem to be
> mostly descriptive -- we naturally say things a certain way, and then
> retroactively we look and say, "ok, that's the right way to say it because
> of such-and-such-rule". Human minds are good at language -- the behavior
> operates at a subconscious level and we don't have to think about the rules
> to form a sentence. We just do it, and then if we want figure out the rules
> as an academic exercise.
It's a good thing human minds are good at language -- can you imagine if
parents actually had to teach their children to speak? That would be
painful. Believe me, I know -- I tried for 4 years. *Then* my kid decided
he was ready to talk.
But some people are better doing weird rules than others. My son (same
one) is very bright, but he's a horrible[1] speller. He didn't respond
well to phonics training, either. He just can't deal with all the stupid
exceptions and minor variations.
My other son is a very good speller. Why does this difference exist
between two very similar kids? I don't know; go ask your geneticist.
Steve
[1] OK, not horrible. Just not as good as I'd like. Or as good as he'd
like--he never pretests out of his weekly spelling assignments.
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | learning languages (was: Re: Perl rules!)
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| [removed lugnet.off-topic.debate from ng-post list] (...) I had 2 years of German and didn't end up learning too much of it because it was from books and tapes and a little bit of conversation in class. I can still write some simple sentences and (...) (25 years ago, 13-Jul-99, to lugnet.off-topic.geek)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Perl rules!
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| (...) Luckily human beings are very good at that. In fact, the rules seem to be mostly descriptive -- we naturally say things a certain way, and then retroactively we look and say, "ok, that's the right way to say it because of such-and-such-rule". (...) (25 years ago, 13-Jul-99, to lugnet.off-topic.debate, lugnet.off-topic.geek)
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