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

On Sat, 8 Dec 2001, [iso-8859-1] Cheng Zhong Su wrote:

>   Elliott Lash wrote: >
> > Um....you can't say "She went to bank" you HAVE to
> > say "She went to a/the bank"
> >
> > Elliott
> >
> Answer: Then what is the meaning of "She went to a/the
> bank" and what's the meaning of:"He is a doctor?","He
> is a bachelor?"
> Su Cheng Zhong
Well, it depends on context.  So?  Is that a problem?

If I lived near a river, the default context of "she went to the bank"
might be the bank of the river, but usually the default context of that
statement is a financial institution.  One rarely "goes to" a physical
feature like the bank of a river.  I'm not sure why; but then, I'm a
philologist, not a linguist.

"He is a doctor." means he has one of two different degrees, either Ph.D.
or MD.  Context might have to determine which, or if one wants to be
clear, one can say, "He is a medical doctor" or "He is a doctor of
English."

"He is a bachelor" means "He is unmarried."  I've never heard it refer to
the degree.

These exmples of ambiguity cause native speakers, or even foreign speakers
with a little experience, absolutely no difficulties at all.  So?

--Patrick


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Prurio modo viri qui in arbore pilosa est.
                        ~~Elvis

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