Re: old clothing (was: Re: Language superiority...)

On Fri, 16 Oct 1998, Nik Taylor wrote:

> Hey, I'm not saying I don't like the "old clothing" look (or "old city",
> if you prefer that metaphor), I'm just saying that it gets in the way of
> efficiency, by making a language more complex than it needs to be.  On
> the other hand, as far as asthetics go, I think that the old look is
> better.
Nik, I don't think that "complex" and "efficient" are mutually exclusive
terms.  There's something missing here.  Hebrew has some efficiencies that
English doesn't; is it less complex?  English has some efficiencies that
French doesn't.  Is English "less complex" than French?  Both languages
have arrived at their present state through a process of very complex
development.  Yes, of course I'm interested in some of the beauties and
pleasures that an efficient construction can yield--when I hit upon it in
Teonaht.  But I'm also interested in giving Teonaht complexity and a sense
of history, upheaval, and idiosyncracy.

Sally



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Sally Caves
scaves@frontiernet.net
http://www.frontiernet.net/~scaves/teonaht.html

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