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Re: Re : Malat

From:Nik Taylor <fortytwo@...>
Date:Wednesday, December 9, 1998, 6:07
Charles wrote:
> Perhaps that refers to abstract nouns? > Scientists use extensive hierarchies of terms > for species, chemicals, numbers, ...
Most nouns are not easily definable. "Cat" can be defined as _felis domesticus_, a quite precise term. Water can be defined as H2O, also a precise term, but most cannot be so easily defined. What is "table", for instance? How can you define it as opposed to "desk"? Both have some sort of flat surface, suitable for various tasks, such as writing, but what seperates them? On the other hand, verbs can usually be defined quite precisely.
> ... so, I think it can be done, since it has been. > Verbs are tougher than nouns, but there are ways > of organizing them too.
As I said, verbs are actually *easier* to define than verbs. They're harder to picture, for the sake of ideographic writing, but easier to define precisely than nouns. -- "We're not obsessed, we're focused!" - X-Philes' motto, by Gizzie http://members.tripod.com/~Nik_Taylor/X-Files ICQ: 18656696 AOL: NikTailor