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Headfirst Again

From:Ed Heil <edh@...>
Date:Friday, May 5, 2000, 23:59
Let's try this again.

The grammar of HeadFirst now goes like this:

S => HP

HP => H [ W M [ W M [ W M.....]]]

W => | with      |
     | and-with  |
     | also-with |

M => [as-[inverse]-HP] HP

What does this all mean?

Well, HP is a "head phrase."  I say "head phrase" because there's only
one part of speech (a la allnoun) which is kinda nouny.  I call it the
"head."

the "with-phrases" introduce modifiers.  When you stack up modifiers
inside of modifiers you can use the alternate with-phrases to keep
track of where you are.  "With" means that the following is a modifier
to the previous head, even if that head is itself part of a modifier.
"And-with" means that what follows is a modifier to the same head
which the previous "with" modified.  It co-ordinates modifiers (hence
the word "and.")  Whereas "also" is used when you're more than one
level of stacking down and you want to break back up to a high level
head, perhaps the main one of the whole sentence.

Example: man with dog with fleas
         man with dog and-with newspaper with headline
         man with dog with fleas and-with collar also-with newspaper

   Here it's the man, not the dog, that has the newspaper.

   "also-with" is not a perfect means for avoiding ambiguity,
   but it will hopefully do for now.

The M-phrases, the modifiers, begin with an optional "as-" phrase.
The HP immediately after the "as-" names the relationship which
the following HP has with the head of the phrase.

For example:  man with as-pet dog.

The man has a dog as a pet.

As-inverse, on the other hand, indicates that the HP immediately
after as-inverse names the relationship which the head of the phrase
has with the immediately following HP:

For example: dog with as-inverse-pet man.

Or:  man with as-inverse-owner dog.

As-phrases are optional when the relationship is assumed to be clear
from context.

OK, let's try some texts....

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."

beginning with as-inverse-time creation with as-agent God
with as-patient heavens and-with as-patient earth.

beginning with creation with God and-with heavens and-with earth.

"And the earth was without form, and void, and darkness moved over
the face of the deep."

earth with as-form nothing and-with as-characteristic voidness
darkness with as-inverse-agent motion with as-location over with
as-landmark something with as-inverse-face deep.

Or, better:

earth with as-form nothing and-with voidness
darkness with motion with over with face with deep.