Re: CHAT: Re : Re: Tlvn, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius

From Http://Members.Aol.Com/Lassailly/Tunuframe.Html wrote:

> the question is rather : why 1-, 2- or 3-valency-mapping all over the world,
> in ANY language and not 4, 5 or 6, etc. ?
> THAT is the tremendously interesting fact i wonder since i'ved learned and
> used foreign, "exotic" languages.
> there are 3 "core slots" as joshuah shinavier would say.
> so why try to occult that universal reality and fodder myths of mathematically
> driven, pseudo-linguistical myths of "logical" binary valency-mapping instead
> ?
Ah, metaphysics ... Why 3? I have been seeing this 3
everywhere in language. Noun, verb, adjective;
past, present, future; make, do, have; me, you, other.
Another well-known metaphysical law is "7 plus or minus 2",
URL cited months ago.

OK, here's why: The underlying mechanism *is* a binary
distinction, yes/no, perceived vs. not. Taken in a pair,
like adjective = [+noun +verb], one can look at the major
deep-semantic categories "noun/verb/adjective" as quasi-really
[+noun], [+verb], [+noun +verb], [-noun -verb] (adverb/particles).
So rather than 3 options, there are 3 plus none-of-the-above.
Taking 3 traits at a time, 3 bits, 7 options + none-of-the-above.
I think this is really how the brain maps things, sort-of.

Pythagoras-Turing wins eventually.