Re: Headfirst Again

Looking better!  It's much more comprehensible now.  How about some more
texts, for examples?

How does Headfirst handle questions?

I with desire with more and-with pleasure with headfirst.

On Fri, 5 May 2000, Ed Heil wrote:

> 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.
>

---------------------------------------------------------------------
                Living your life is a task so difficult,
                it has never been attempted before.