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Article 6868 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: bhv@areaplg2.corp.mot.com (Bronis Vidugiris)
Subject: Re: missing verbs (was: Biological Sex Differences...)
Organization: Motorola, CCR&D, CORP, Schaumburg, IL
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 23:35:46 GMT
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References: <1992Sep9.034138.15488@news.media.mit.edu> <dgsnzqd@lynx.unm.edu> <1992Sep9.162211.11503@lmpsbbs.comm.mot.com> <1992Sep9.230021.5182@news.media.mit.edu>
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In article <1992Sep9.230021.5182@news.media.mit.edu> minsky@media.mit.edu (Marvin Minsky) writes:
)In article <1992Sep9.162211.11503@lmpsbbs.comm.mot.com> bhv@areaplg2.corp.mot.com (Bronis Vidugiris) writes:

[Brian Evans really wrote:]

)>)I'd disagree.  It depends upon what is being spoken:
)>)
)>)I lost.
)>)I lost the game.
)>)I biffed it.
)>)I ate it.
)>)I bit it.
)>)I spooged.
)>)I fucked up.
)>)I bought the farm.

)Umm, no.  The problem was to replace phrases like "A defeated B" by a
)homologous phrase with the same meaning, like "B <verbed> A", where A
)and B are of equivalent status.  Really, half of the verbs seem to be
)missing, in this sense.  It is really hard to say that <Jack verbed
)Jim> in a case in which we regard Jack as coming out the worse for the
)event. 

Hmm.  I think there might be a slang expression for 'A deliberately lost'
though I can't quote one, but it probably wouldn't be in the A <verb> B form,
it would, like my (deleted) example "A 'choked'" or one of Brian's examples
above be in the A <past-tense-verb> form.

I did happen to think of an even simpler assymetry in the language, though,
one that doesn't need a 'B', only an 'A'.

A lied.

One could say 'A was truthful', but that's not a direct verb form.  One
doesn't say 'A truthed'.  


I'm not quite sure what the significance of this is, though.


