Re: Tiny Grammar

> ----------
> From:         Edward Heil[SMTP:edheil@HOTMAIL.COM]
> Reply To:     Constructed Languages List
> Sent:         Tuesday, March 16, 1999 11:51 AM
> To:   Multiple recipients of list CONLANG
> Subject:      Re: Tiny Grammar
>
> >From: charles <catty@...>
> >
> >Nice statement.
>
> Thanks. :)
>
> >
> >[about RuPiN ...]
> >
> >I have a nice URL:
> >http://www.hpmuseum.org/rpn.htm
>
> Hum.  I wonder if one could mix Rupin with Allnoun...
>
> But wait.  In order for reverse polish to work, do you *have* to have a
> fixed number of operands for each operator?... hmmm....  In other words,
> could you have 3 3 3 +  as well as 3 3 +?  Or would you have to make it
> 3 3 + 3 +?
>
RPN is used in a programming language called Forth, the second is the only
code that will return 9 after execution (33+3+ = 9)  (333+) would return a
"stack" with two items, 3 on the bottom, and 6 on the top.  In cases where a
variable number of arguments are possible for a given operator, an integer
number follows the set of arguments, denoting how many there are.  For
example if there were an operator +# that would add an arbitrary set of
integers together, you would write 3 3 3 3 +#, the fourth 3 indicates there
are three numbers to sum.  Another example of the hypothetical +# operator
would be:

1 1 2 +#
is equivalent to
1 1 +

One useful concept is the "stack trace".  It traces the interpretation of a
given statement from beginning to end... so 1 1 2 +# would trace as:

() 1
(1) 1
(1 1) 2
(1 1 2) +#
(2)

and 1 1 + would trace as:
() 1
(1) 1
(1 1) +
(2)

As far as optional adverbs etc... a Forth or RPN based system would be
complex, but could definitely be done.  Give me time and I could come up
with something.


> >
> >[Then, Nick said:]
> >
> >> I like it a bit better than Allnoun in that it doesn't have those
> silly
> >> parentheses, but I see the fact that the slots are all predefined as
> >> perhaps a bit of a limitation.
> >
> >How about affixing a tone to each word that has slots to fill?
> >Then "aaa bbb1 ccc ddd2" would be something like "noun adj noun verb".
>
> That was me, Ed, not Nik.
>
> I think part of the idea for Rupin was to eliminate parts of speech...
> maybe a tone could determine how many slots a word had?
>
> Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
>