spatial-workout ( premature )

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From:    claudio <claudio.soboll@...>
To:      Constructed Languages List <CONLANG@...>
Date:    Thursday, June 28, 2001, 7:42:24 PM
Subject: spatial-workout ( premature )
Files:   <none>
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well i have tried to work abit on spatial terms , but put this
on hold, because its really not an easy task to analyse them and create
a logical analysis/categorization them.
however the first step is surely to collect all spatial terms (relation or not)
terms. and *then* look at them and try to get a grisp how they relate,
and how their semantics could be derived from each other.

when we look at that 3-dimensional directions of a center that we have words
for, we see that theres some improvement-potential regarding twixt
directions like: left-top, right-bottom etc..

to give you a hint for the first step, this are all spatial terms
i have worked out so far:


a) i've omitted obvious synonyms, because they wouldnt fit alltogether in the table.
b) i suggest to divide the terms into 2 groups. the position-group and the direction-group.
   direction implies a movement/motion. position is fixed.
   direction is nicely described with the clitic "-ward" in english.
c) each position-pair(nym and antonym) got an equivalence in the direction-table,
d) note that some position/motion-equivalences use terms in common:
   e.g. "across" or "along"



nearby/away : a digital principle. ab-/ad-essiv[1] : someone is either in the near
distance or not. similar to the digital 0/1-principle.
tacked/off : a digital principle. ab-/ad-essiv[2] : someone is either attached directly
or not. similar to the digital 0/1-principle.
inside/outside    : a digital principle.
near/far          : an analoge principle.

attached|off,away from   attach-ward|off-ward
near|far
inside|outside

1. the position-group  (like "the top", "the bottom")
r.:=relationship term
ID-# | supernym r. | supernym noun | nym r. | nym noun | antonym r. | antonym noun
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1    | distant(?)   | distance           | at (nearby) | nearness       | away          | vastnesss
2    |              |                    | directly at | attachment[1]  | off           | (?)
3 | latitude | latitude | left of | the left | right of | the right-side
4 | longitude | longitude | front-side | the front-side | behind | the rear-side
5    | vertical     | vertical axis      | above       | the top        | below         | bottom
6 | (?) | (?) | inside | the inside | outside | the outside

7    | (?)          | surroundings       | between     | (?)            | among         | (?)

"beside" is relative term for the supernym for "left/right".
around is bound to a shape: "position/motion like a circle" -> shape-spatial-relations
across
along

2. direction-group (a motion is implied. like "through","backward","foreward")
r.:=relationship term
ID-# | supernym r. | supernym noun | nym r. | nym noun | antonym r. | antonym noun
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1    | (?)            | direction          | to(ward)    | targeting      | from          | (?)
       note: to(ward)~nearward. and: from~farward. this is the motion-equivalence to the ID#1
       in the table "1. static-spatial terms"
2 | (?) | (?) | on,against | attachment[2] | off | withdrawel
       note: when you think about it: an attachment is antonym to an withdrawel.
       in this case the motion is meant. this is the motion-equivalence to the ID#2
       in the table "1. static-spatial terms"
3    | (sideward)     | (sidewardness)     | leftward    | (?)            | rightward     | (?)
4    | (?)            | (?)                | foreward    | (?)            | backward      | (?)
5    | (?)            | (?)                | upward      | (?)            | downward      | (?)
6    | (?)            | (?)                | inward,into | (?)            | outward       | (?)

7    | (?)            | transit            | through     | transit        | (?)           | (?)
8    | crossing       | crossing           | crossward   | (?)            | (?)           | (?)
"beside" is relative term for the supernym for "left/right".
around is bound to a shape: "position/motion like a circle" -> shape-spatial-relations
across
along



there are more questionmarks than i can fill the space :-/
im not done with all the terms yet.

if someone already analysed this topic i would be happy to hear about it.
regards,
c.s.

MP> Dan Jones wrote:

>> Nik Taylor wrote:
>>
>> > Interesting.  I have no problem with that, early on I used the mnemonic
>> > of reading, you start on the left, and go to the right.  However, I do
>> > often confuse east and west.
>>
>> The thing that really used to confuse me was latitude and longitude, I could
>> never tell which one went horizontal and which vertical until I had the
>> mnemonic that Latin is written on a horizontal line, therefore latitude is
>> horizontal. This was before I knew the meaning of the word "lateral", of
>> course ;o).
MP> Telling left from right used to be very difficult for me.  The only way I could
MP> remember was by imagining myself holding a pencil:  I'm right-handed, so the
MP> imaginary pencil would appear in my right hand, and then I would know.

MP> I still have trouble with clockwise and counterclockwise.  I need the extra step
MP> of imagining a clock and watching the second hand sweep around.

MP> ObConlang:  Has anyone come up with any interesting systems for representing
MP> direction and orientation?  Tokana has terms for left and right, and for the
MP> major points of the compass, but the Tokana generally make reference to local
MP> landmarks in giving directions.  As they live in a fertile coastal region, most
MP> of their direction terms refer to bodies of water--e.g., "towards the ocean",
MP> "away from the ocean", "towards the nearest river", "away from the nearest
MP> river", "away from the nearest river", "upstream", and "downstream".

MP> Matt.

MP> P.S.:  Yesterday I saw the McDonald's comercial that was mentioned a while ago,
MP> featuring subtitled dialogue in Atlantean (tie-in with the new Disney movie).  I
MP> never thought I'd live to see the day when McDonald's would use a conlang to
MP> sell its hamburgers.


"rurmlor entflöt, fluppseveri trimel akre wopel larf."
- alte redensart

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