built-in rules

[flash flash@xxxxxxxx]

To the philosophers among us,

To those who think that language is hard-wired in the brain (or
ontological), is it hard-wired in the brain (or ontological) that
extending the middle finger is offensive in the US, but in Britain one
spreads the index and middle fingers?

Is it hard-wired in the brain (or ontological) that shaking the head
left-&-right means 'no' in Europe but 'yes' in India. 'Yes' and 'no' are
pretty basic; you'd think they would be the same everywhere, if they
were hard-wired.

Is it hard-wired in the brain (or ontological) that 'I am cold' means I
am cold in English, but 'I am callous' in German? If you mean 'I am
cold' you have to say 'mir ist kalt'--dative in German. Are nominative,
accusative, dative, genitive, (cases in general), hard-wired in the
brain (or ontological)? Is it hard-wired in the brain (or ontological)
that some languages have more cases than others (Attic Greek, for
example)?

Is it hard-wired in the brain (or ontological) that 'I am a Berliner'
mean that I come from Berlin, whereas 'Ich bin ein Berliner' means that
I am a jelly donut?

There is nothing ontological corresponding to a subjunctive conditional,
since, ex hypothesi, it _didn't_ happen.

Flash