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[lojban] Re: semantic space



Craig wrote:
Lojban doesn't really classify relations at all:

the gismu list is a large and disorderly bag whose merit is that it
blankets semantic space,

has this really been demonstrated?


How does one demonstrate that? (Or, for starters, measure semantic

space?)


I would have thought one thing Lojban does very well is classifying
relations. "Semantic space" is just a (sometimes) convenient metaphor.
There is no real space out there to be carved up into concepts.


Well, in a sense there is. If we only had thirty-five gismu (the lowest
minimum I've heard claimed as necessary) then we would need them all to
encompass a great deal of stuff.


No, we could just pick thirty-five things that we thought were worth
talking about.


Seeing as the thirty-five figure is claimed for a natural language, which
can talk about everything...

Why should a natural language be able to talk about everything? Can you talk about astrophysics in Hittite?

robin.tr


--
"A Perl script is "correct" if it gets the job done before your boss fires you."
 - Larry Wall

Robin Turner
IDMYO
Bilkent Univeritesi
Ankara 06533
Turkey

www.bilkent.edu.tr/~robin