Re: Re : Re: Long Languages

Dans un courrier dat=E9 du 06/05/99 05:47:03  , vous avez =E9crit :

<< <non-advasarial>
 So what's wrong with homophones?  I have quite a few in Graavgaaln even
 though it has a huge phonolgy and is very flexable about combining them.  I=
t
 also has some long words -- especially after inflecting.  Lrahran also has
 homophones one of which means both "to be five" and "money".
=20
 I'm not sure I have any words that mean more than two unrelated things, but
 these things create wonderful ambiguity which can form the foundation for
 humor.  After all MANY jokes are based on mistaking one word or meaning for
 another.

The problem is, Tunu is already ambiguous enough. Not the vocabulary and the=20
basic grammar themselves (they are very straight and bare), but the polite=20
forms are hell : nouns and verbs permute all the time (it's a caricature of=20
Japanese : revenge). For instance, the polite form for "me" is "sh.t", for "=
I=20
speak" : "I think", for "I go" : "I (crawl) in mud", etc. So I'd better stic=
k=20
to an easily identified vocabulary.
=20
 Did you see the episode of Babylon 5 in which the comedians visited the
 station.  They told a joke in Minbari whic depende upon the fact that the
 word X (I don't recall the word) meant both "spiritual enlightenment" and "=
a
 small fish".  Delenn died laughing.  If it's funny to a Minbari it must be
 funny!

hahaha-sh.t. (polite laugh)

 </nonadvasarial> >>

<user-friendly>

Mathias