the joys of ambiguity
From: | Yahya Abdal-Aziz <yahya@...> |
Date: | Wednesday, June 7, 2006, 2:50 |
Hi all,
Kevin McLeod, presenter of "Grand Designs", a program on architect-designed
makeovers and newbuilds, came up with this interesting sentence:
"Nobody looks like they've lived here for a very long time."
This is very possibly grammatical English, but being at least doubly ambiguous,
borders delightfully on nonsense. Perhaps it's the poet in me that revels in
the ambiguity, even while the scientist in me revolts. Luckily I'm also a
musician, mathematician and IT business analyst, so I'm well aware of the
powers of both scientific precision and artistic metaphor. I think I will adopt
a new motto, at least for my conlanging: "Log me no langs!"
Do you have any examples of creative or suggestive ambiguity in conlangs?
Regards,
Yahya
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