[108688] in tlhIngan-Hol
Re: [tlhIngan Hol] mutpu' or mutmey ?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Lawrence M. Schoen)
Thu Dec 29 12:39:07 2016
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From: "Lawrence M. Schoen" <klingonguy@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 29 Dec 2016 12:38:55 -0500
To: tlhIngan Hol mailing list <tlhingan-hol@kli.org>
Reply-To: tlhingan-hol@kli.org
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One of the things I used to tell my students (back in my professoring days)
was that language is the way we choose to carve up the universe. Different
languages carve differently.
The reason this comes to mind for me is that rules within a language are
not necessarily monolithic. Consider how we conjugate the verbs used with
mass nouns in English. If the mass noun is animate, it's treated as plural
(e.g., "the fish are in the pond") but if the mass noun is inanimate, it's
treated as singular ("the grass is on the hill"). And other languages do
this differently; Spanish, for example, but I no longer recall the critical
semantic feature it uses mass nouns, only that it's different from English.
Voragh's recitation of examples notwithstanding, I wonder if there is
something similar going on here. Something subtle. I have no data to
support such a position, just a gut feeling. And, as noted, there's lots of
evidence from multiple sources to support the other side.
I guess I'm saying I completely understand where you're coming from with
this, but also that I trust my gut and can't simply dismiss it (nor do I
think I'd be misunderstood if I constructed utterances based on my
leanings).
It's a bit of a pointless cautionary reminder, but we have a long history
of generalizing rules from too few (and sometimes only one) example. But to
be clear, you're not doing that here, you have a whole slew of examples.
I just have my (impressive, but still just mine alone) gut.
:D
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<div dir=3D"ltr"><br><div class=3D"gmail_extra"><div class=3D"gmail_signatu=
re" data-smartmail=3D"gmail_signature"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div dir=3D"ltr"><d=
iv dir=3D"ltr"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div styl=
e=3D"font-size:small"><div>One of the things I used to tell my students (ba=
ck in my professoring days) was that language is the way we choose to carve=
up the universe. Different languages carve differently.<br><br>The reason =
this comes to mind for me is that rules within a language are not necessari=
ly monolithic. Consider how we conjugate the verbs used with mass nouns in =
English. If the mass noun is animate, it's treated as plural (e.g., &qu=
ot;the fish are in the pond") but if the mass noun is inanimate, it=
9;s treated as singular ("the grass is on the hill"). And other l=
anguages do this differently; Spanish, for example, but I no longer recall =
the critical semantic feature it uses mass nouns, only that it's differ=
ent from English.<br><br>Voragh's recitation of examples notwithstandin=
g, I wonder if there is something similar going on here. Something subtle. =
I have no data to support such a position, just a gut feeling. And, as note=
d, there's lots of evidence from multiple sources to support the other =
side.=C2=A0<br><br></div><div>I guess I'm saying I completely understan=
d where you're coming from with this, but also that I trust my gut and =
can't simply dismiss it (nor do I think I'd be misunderstood if I c=
onstructed utterances based on my leanings).=C2=A0</div><div><br></div><div=
>It's a bit of a pointless cautionary reminder, but we have a long hist=
ory of generalizing rules from too few (and sometimes only one) example. Bu=
t to be clear, you're not doing that here, you have a whole slew of exa=
mples.=C2=A0<br><br>I just have my (impressive, but still just mine alone) =
gut.=C2=A0</div><div><br></div><div>:D</div><div><br></div></div></div></di=
v></div></div></div></div></div>
</div></div>
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