Re: [jboske] loi'e = loi ?

[John Cowan <cowan@ccil.org>]

Nick Nicholas scripsit:

> I want to talk to Mr Bird ( = a bird, any bird.)

This whole speech works for me reading "Mr. Bird" as I do as "loi cipni".

> 1. Mr Bird can fly: TRUE. Mr Bird cannot fly: FALSE.
> 2. Mr Bird can fly: TRUE. Mr Bird cannot fly: TRUE.
> 3. Mr Bird can fly: NA'I. Mr Bird cannot fly: NA'I.
> 
> In case (1), we have my statistical Median Bird, which is not your Mr 
> Bird. For if you are seeking Mr Bird, (1) would rule out a penguin as 
> being an avatar of Mr Bird."

But this works equally well if it isn't the mode of the individuals but
rather closeness to the prototype that counts. Again I mention the
hypothetical in which most swans are black (but confined to Australia)
whereas the prototypical swan remains white.

-- 
Henry S. Thompson said, / "Syntactic, structural, John Cowan
Value constraints we / Express on the fly." jcowan@reutershealth.com
Simon St. Laurent: "Your / Incomprehensible http://www.reutershealth.com
Abracadabralike / schemas must die!" http://www.ccil.org/~cowan