Re: Languages: The Bigger the Uglier (was: Re: Aliasing in ISO C)

Arch Robison <robison@kai.com> wrote:
>Here's a solution:
> [limit the language to something that M out of N judges can remember]


Laurent GASSER <gasser@ilw.agrl.ethz.ch> wrote:
> I am trying to see if this could be a solution. Let say that I am
> interested in the core of a natural language like English.
>
> Most people will agree that around 2000-3000 words are enough to
> sustain elementary arguments. Applying the test above, would a hunter
> in the mountains select the same set of words than the fishermann at
> sea? Surely not.


I can't agree with this analogy. The 'fisherman' and 'hunter' words
belong in (one of) the 'library(s)'. A better analogy would be with
the parts of speech, which in English are nouns, adjectives, verbs,
adverbs, articles, conjunctions, etc., and things like cases,
declensions, etc. The whole of the _syntax_ fits on the back of a
postcard. (I consider things like agreement & lots of other things to
be inessential, because people can understand someone who makes
mistakes in those things, even though they may consider that person to
be uneducated.)


--
www/ftp directory:
ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/hb/hbaker/home.html
[This is definitely wandering away from compilers. But anyone who thinks
that English syntax is simple should try enumerating the possible verb
tenses. -John]


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