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From: iad@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Ivan A Derzhanski)
Subject: Re: Artificial languages Re: Esperanto (was: Refusing to ....)
Message-ID: <CwLtvH.EJH@cogsci.ed.ac.uk>
Organization: Centre for Cognitive Science, Edinburgh, UK
References: <35e76o$3ep@news.cs.brandeis.edu> <CwBv84.CGr@cogsci.ed.ac.uk> <donhCwEx7z.8uA@netcom.com>
Date: Fri, 23 Sep 1994 22:45:17 GMT
Lines: 37

In article <donhCwEx7z.8uA@netcom.com> donh@netcom.com (Don HARLOW) writes:
>iad@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Ivan A Derzhanski) skribis en lastatempa afisxo <CwBv84.CGr@cogsci.ed.ac.uk>:
>>If you had never heard of unicorns, and were shown a picture of one,
>>what criterion would you use to identify it as a mythical being rather
>>than an actually existing animal?  [...]
>>
>Ivan, when you start arguing by analogy I start thinking that you have 
>no genuine arguments to support your position.  Analogy is great for 
>instructional purposes, but absolutely worthless for proving a point. 

I don't think so.  In any case, I've already explained what my position is
and why I maintain it in a number of other articles.  If in this one
I've chosen to resort to analogy instead of presenting what you call
`genuine arguments', what's the problem?

>And when you start introducing mythical beasties into a discussion of 
>language (this being the second time), I really start to worry.

Worry away, just don't ask me to give up unicorns.  A semanticist can't
do without them.  Call it a professional deformation if you like.

>>[Esperanto] is most emphatically [not a Polish/Latin/German pidgin].  Its
>>root vocabulary is, maybe, but its grammar is Zamenhof's own creation.
>>
>Cf. Gaston Waringhien's _Lingvo kaj Vivo_ (there is a recent edition 
>available) for, i.delightful a., a discussion of the sources of Zamenhof's 
>grammar and word-formation system. Very little of it was created out of 
>whole cloth.

I'll keep the reference in mind, though a brief summary would've been
more useful.

-- 
`Pilate, tryin tae be clever, said, "So! -- whit is truth?"'  (The G-- G--)
Ivan A Derzhanski (iad@cogsci.ed.ac.uk, iad@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu)
* Centre for Cognitive Science,  2 Buccleuch Place,   Edinburgh EH8 9LW,  UK
* Cowan House E113, Pollock Halls, 18 Holyrood Pk Rd, Edinburgh EH16 5BD, UK
