Darwin-L Message Log 4:71 (December 1993)

Academic Discussion on the History and Theory of the Historical Sciences

This is one message from the Archives of Darwin-L (1993–1997), a professional discussion group on the history and theory of the historical sciences.

Note: Additional publications on evolution and the historical sciences by the Darwin-L list owner are available on SSRN.

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<4:71>From GA3704@SIUCVMB.SIU.EDU  Fri Dec 17 17:11:23 1993

Date: Fri, 17 Dec 93 17:04:59 CST
From: "Margaret E. Winters" <GA3704@SIUCVMB.SIU.EDU>
To: darwin-l@ukanaix.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: ecology

Salikoko Mufwene's comment about the relativistic nature of
environments made me think of another aspect of this question.
His example of French and Latin as influences on the development
of relative clauses in English can be interpreted as falling,
at least in part, within the question of societal ecology even
though the result is a structural/systematic change.  In order
for French and Latin to be influencial, the English-speaking
society of the time had to view those languages as conferring
some kind of prestige, whatever its nature.  Otherwise the
borrowing would not have occurred.

I suspect I may be overstating in the specifics of this example,
but would like to make the wider point that the line between
systematic and societal ecology (as proposed by Tom Cravens) is
not always a clear one.

                                Margaret Winters

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