Re: Langauge Constets (was Natural Semantic Metalanguage)
| From: | <morphemeaddict@...> |
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| Date: | Wednesday, November 21, 2007, 22:23 |
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In a message dated 11/21/2007 8:03:00 AM Central Standard Time,
lars.finsen@ORTYGIA.NO writes:
> I think if enough derivational morphemes are allowed, it should be
> possible to create a fully usable language from much less than 20
> words. If mathematics can be derived from just two entities, 0 and 1,
> why not a speaking language? I think the words 'here' and 'there' are
> a good place to start,
>
> LEF
>
I would count each morpheme as a word for the purposes of this contest
setting.
How can mathematics be derived from just '0' and '1'? You have to be able to
combine them somehow, and that means adding an operation, which immediately
means a third item.
You can't even say that all numbers can be derived with just the two digits,
because you still need a rule on how to interpret the digits, so e.g., 1011
has to be interpreted via some rule to get the decimal equivalent (eleven, in
this case).
On the other hand, all electronic media use only the two bits, so, while two
bits may not be enough, a very small number (but at least three) is sufficient.
stevo </HTML>
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