Re: English syllable structure (was, for some reason: Re: Llirine: How to creat a language)

Cheng Zhong Su wrote:
>  --- Almaran Dungeonmaster wrote:
> > Interesting, but this is only soemwhat related to
> > what yo are arguing. It
> > basically says that it is easier to remember short
> > words than longer words,
> > generally speaking. But it does not say:
> > - that this makes you think any faster
> > - that if you have a bigger set of items to remember
> > from, you might not
> > also decrease the chance for accurately recalling
> > something.
> >
> > I.e. if you add four tones to an existing languages,
> > it enables you to make
> > shorter words, which can be remembered more
> > reliably, but who is to say that
> > because you have more different syllables to choose
> > from, the chance for
> > recalling on of them correctly doesn't become
> > smaller?
> >
> > Maarten
>Answer: A linguist read the 'time table' of math in
>English 42 seconds, in Chinese 30 secomds. At the end
>of 30th second, I believe both English reader and
>Chinese reader are different in mind.
What is the "'time table' of math"?

>And there is
>another different, the English school didn't want
>student learn the chemical element's table in heard.
>Why, because it's too long, but the Chinese school
>want student learn it in heart, for it's not hard job
>for them. We know once you know the table, you know
>most properties of all elements. While a English
>student need to looking for book to find the position
>of that element. Do you want this happen forever?
While this seems to be question of education style and ideology rather than
of anything language-related*, I'd like to point out that I know several
people who now the table of elements by heart (in Swedish, but from the
Mandarin point of view Swedish is essentially English). Also, it's very
questionable whether the average person NEEDS to know all the elements. The
average person won't ever get to see a bit of Francium (there's a few
grammes in the Earth's crust ...), and while he/she'll run into most other
elements now and then there's usually little practical use for the knowledge
that substance X contains element Y.

* Unless we take Sapir-Whorfianism to the point of claiming that language
predetermines societal ideology. I don't.

                                             Andreas

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