Re: Language comparison

On Sun, 9 Jan 2005 11:01:57 +0100, Andreas Johansson <andjo@...> wrote:

>Quoting "J. 'Mach' Wust" <j_mach_wust@...>:
>
>> >> However, there's no such directionality in the evolution of language.
>> >
>> >Does that mean you believe the current (~1 bit per character IIRC)
>> >amount of density is the maximum feasible?
>>
>> Language has no characters, only written language has. And it has
>> definitly no bits.
>
>That might require some qualification, since language, practically by
>definition, conveys information, and information is what is measured in
>bits.
How many bits are in a connotation, how many in a proverb, in an implicit
request, in a baptism, in a line of a verse? How many bits are in that
sentence you've just written?

The application of the notion "bit" makes only sense if there's something
countable, like e.g. zeros and ones. I wouldn't dare to make the meaning of
language countable.

kry@s:
j. 'mach' wust