Newsgroups: sci.lang
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news2.harvard.edu!news2.near.net!news.mathworks.com!udel!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!ix.netcom.com!netcom.com!elna
From: elna@netcom.com (Esperanto League N America)
Subject: Re: One point against Esperanto
Message-ID: <elnaD63D6J.9x9@netcom.com>
Organization: Esperanto League for North America, Inc.
References: <795682541snz@duntone.demon.co.uk> <D5tBnM.8Gv@cix.compulink.co.uk> <D5uq0q.GJ2@cogsci.ed.ac.uk>
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995 09:03:55 GMT
Lines: 27
Sender: elna@netcom20.netcom.com

iad@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Ivan A Derzhanski) writes in a recent posting (reference <D5uq0q.GJ2@cogsci.ed.ac.uk>):
>In article <D5tBnM.8Gv@cix.compulink.co.uk> antony@cix.compulink.co.uk ("Antony Rawlinson") writes:
>>Although Esperanto uses mostly european-based vocabulary, the
>>syntax and word-formation are designed to follow logic, [...]
>
>Designed to follow what?!  Logic?
>
>Come *on*.
>
Among the definitions of "logic" in my dictionary [American Heritage--
the one with the IE appendix!] I found this:
"The formal, guiding principles of a discipline, school, or science."
And "The relationship of element to element to whole in a set of objects,
individuals, principles, or events." 
So if the system of rules of word-formation and syntax is followed more 
rigourously in one language than in another, it is completely correct, and
not even a stretch of normal usage, to call that language more logical. 
Conformity to order is a sort of logic, is it not? The very plan of a 
planned language is a sort of logic, is it not?  

Perhaps it can be argued that Lojban or other planned languages are yet
*more* logical than Esperanto, but it is clear that Esperanto uses a small
number of rules and follows them rigourously, and is therefore "designed
to follow logic".

Miko.

