Re: Difficult language ideas

Leigh wrote:
<<
My reasoning there was that it isn't a language often used for
chatting, but more for formal purposes. But you're right, there would
be some insider knowledge which would influence the language.
 >>

Regarding this, and idioms, I'm surprised no one has yet mentioned
that Star Trek episode.  I can't remember the famous phrase, but
it's something like "Darmok and Jelad at Tanagra", and that's
supposed to mean something.  As far as I can tell, the language
that this alien culture has *can* be translated by the Universal
Translator, but the aliens choose to use mainly proper names, so
what gets translated has no meaning.  (Of course, the UT should
be able to get something out of this, but we can ignore that for
now...)

Anyway, going along with what Teoh was saying, they can be
purposely creating phrases that mean something completely
different.  So, for example...

Kosta eats with Teleno.

So, "eats with" would be translated into the language, and it
would fit all the rest of the language patterns, but it would mean
the above.  This, then, could refer to an obscure historical event
where, say, two philosophers that didn't like each other came to
eat together one day, and got into an argument.  Saying "Kosta
eats with Teleno", then, could mean something like, "I disagree
with x (whoever the topic is), but I will put up with him for now".
And the language could be filled with a bunch of these.  And
further, whenever someone undesirable figures out what one
of them means, its meaning could be changed, or a new expression
could be used to mean the same thing.

-David
*******************************************************************
"A male love inevivi i'ala'i oku i ue pokulu'ume o heki a."
"No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn."

-Jim Morrison

http://dedalvs.free.fr/

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