Return-Path: Return-Path: id ; Fri, 2 Aug 91 14:58:06 EDT Message-Id: <9108021858.AA01407@dino> Date: Fri, 2 Aug 91 14:58:06 EDT From: cbmvax!uunet!dino.ulowell.edu!gryphon (Coranth) To: lojban-list@snark.thyrsus.com Subject: SUPERL and comments... Status: RO X-From-Space-Date: Fri Aug 2 16:27:23 1991 X-From-Space-Address: cbmvax!uunet!dino.ulowell.edu!gryphon Ron Hale-Evans writes: > *Why* can't we create a language where grammatical correctness implies > factual correctness? Because that imposes an external (and arbiratry) limitation on what you consider reality. What is factual vs. fictional is best left to writers and philosphers. > Another question: Why can't we create such a compact language? > Again, Hofstadter has an interesting comment on this in *Metamagical > Themas*; he devises the word "cohatalat", which is an acronym for "come > over here and take a look at this", a phrase most of us use often enough. > Why hasn't a word like "cohatalat" evolved to fill this niche? Actually, I > tend to think we *can* create more compact language in just this way. I > don't think I would have any problem using "cohatalat" in everyday speech > if anyone actually knew what it meant. The group I hang around with has many such, including faip (for all intents and purposes), wysiwyg (pronounced wisy-wig, what you see is what you get) and w'kw'bfy (pronounced wik-wib-fee, we know what's best for you) "co'o rodo. mi'e korant. "