Jeff Jones wrote:
>
> On Sat, 7 Dec 2002 10:54:58 -0500, Keenan <makeenan@...> wrote:
> "Lablang" is what I use when I bother to use a term. Most of my languages
> are lablangs.
Tell, tell.
> If anyone seriously objects to this sort of thing, we could probably move
> the discussion to Engelang.
Is there an Engelang group? When did that happen?
> >Nobody will have a
> >chance in hell understanding it but......well, I don't care.
>
> Unless of course they're able to sing, whistle, chew gum, play chess, hold
> their breath, and fly a kite simultaneously -- while riding a bicycle
> underwater.
LOL. You know I was thinking that people *ought* to be able to
understand speedtalk as spoken. Its the same mental process as reading.
Nobody reads a word letter by letter and then assembles the meaning in
their heads. People recognize the *entire* word as a whole. It seems
that same process should come into play when recognizing speedtalk
words.
> > I'm trying to arrange it so that words represented by
> > consonants are the frequently used ones.
>
> That last sounds like a good idea.
I thought so. We'll see how it turns out.
> About 525 phonemes is around half the number Heinlein mentioned.
Right. I think he mentioned 850. In another of his books called 'Time
Enough for love' the hero of the story asks a computer to implant the
900 basic words of the local language into his mind as he sleeps.
Apparently Heinlein thinks that is enough. I don't think we do but......
I forgot about labialization. That gives me ca.1900 words to work with.
Ok has around 1700 and I don't seem to have much trouble saying things
with Ok.
> Heinlein mentions something about not distinguishing between nouns and
> verbs, doesn't he? I suspect you'll have to scrap the one-to-one
> relationship with Basic English and use Basic English only to check for
> semantic gaps. But I haven't looked at Basic English in a while.
I have the Basic English vocabulary incorporated into Ok's vocabulary.
And Speedtalk is going to be a relex of Ok. God I'm lazy!
I have heard people express dissatisfaction with basic English before
but I'm not sure what the problem was.
>
> Sure thing (can't say "OK" in this context!)
:P
Expect an example of Speedtalk later today! I should come up with
another name though ,huh.
> Jeff
-Duke