The common belief of some linguists that each language is a
perfect vehicle for the thoughts of the nation speaking it is in some ways the
exact counterpart of the conviction of the Manchester school of economics that
supply and demand will regulate everything for the best. Just as
economists were blind to the numerous cases in which the law of supply and
demand left actual wants unsatisfied, so also many linguists are deaf to those
instances in which the very nature of a language calls forth misunderstandings
in everyday conversation, and in which, consequently, a word has to be modified
or defined in order to present the idea intended by the speaker:. "He took
his stick—no, not John’s, but his own." No language is perfect, and if we
admit this truth, we must also admit that it is not unreasonable to investigate
the relative merits of different languages or of different details in
languages. In presenting the argument, the author does all of
the following EXCEPT:
A. give an example.
B. draw a conclusion.
C. make a generalization.
D. make a comparison.
E. present a paradox.