# It's a Small World, After All....

**URL:** http://discourse.iapct.org/t/its-a-small-world-after-all/5887
**Category:** CSG1995
**Created:** [August 28, 1995, 9:51am UTC](http://discourse.iapct.org/t/its-a-small-world-after-all/5887 "1995-08-28T09:51:15Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Joel\_B\_Judd](http://discourse.iapct.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/9f8e36/32.png) [@Joel\_B\_Judd](http://discourse.iapct.org/u/Joel_B_Judd)
#### Post date: [August 28, 1995, 9:51am UTC](http://discourse.iapct.org/t/its-a-small-world-after-all/5887/1 "1995-08-28T09:51:15Z")

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[from Joel Judd 950828.0900 CST]

Well, I was going to respond to Rick (950825.1130). Assuming he's just  
in the Social Skills classroom and not floating face down amidst the  
kelp off of Catalina:

> I think another important distinction is between rules as perceptions  
> and rules as unperceived constraints...

What follows is pretty much why I thought of a "natural" and "manmade"  
distinction--the point being we can't do much about the natural ones.  
Because of that, or rather because they're there from the birth, most of  
us (with the exception of the Orvilles and the Wilburs, etc.) learn to  
live around them.

What struck me by the time I got to the end is how much this describes  
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT. The last two paragraphs would apply perfectly to  
language. The only caveat I would throw in would be that whereas  
gravity doesn't vary from one country to another (though there are those  
who believe parts of CA don't count), the "rules" of language do. Other  
than that, sentences such as the following could easily be reworded:

> the kid just learns that part of what you do to [communicate] in this  
> house is to [learn to say 'please' and 'thank you']...

or

> In order to learn to control a [linguistic] rule as a perception, you have  
> to be taught the rule explicitly ['My brother and \*I\*,' 'To \*whom\* am I  
> speaking?']

or

> Explicitly teaching the [linguistic] rules will not necessarily help a  
> person control [communicative goals] any better

(in fact, they may make them worse by ostracizing someone from her  
"group")

> **···**
>
> TO: CSG-L INTERNET Any user on the Internet, not at DESE Proj. Box
> 
> FROM: JUDDJ DESEINST Joel Judd - DESE - Division of Instruction
> 
> DATE: August 28, 1995  
> SUBJECT: It's a Small World, After All....
> 
> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
> David G., Mary P., Bill P. (various):
> 
> I didn't perceive the Jewish mother query as critical. In fact, I love  
> all colors of people--white, red, brown, yellow. Actually, some of my best  
> friends are Jewish. My accountants are Jewish. Steven Spielberg, David  
> Geffin....oh, I'm sorry, I'm channeling the Michael Jackson interview.  
> Never mind.
> 
> Joel  
> the rule