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From: dcs2e@darwin.clas.virginia.edu (David Swanson)
Subject: Re: Language difficulty/variation
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In article <4tb2t4$1k9@csu-b.csuohio.edu>
b.scott@bscott.async.csuohio.edu (Brian M. Scott) writes:

> For the sake of argument assume that the number of phonemes required 
> to convey a given concept is inversely proportional to the size of the 
> phoneme inventory of the language in question.  Then if Language A has 
> a phoneme inventory twice as large as that of Language B, any concept 
> will require for expression in Language B twice as long a string of 
> phonemes as would be required to express it in Language A.  

Nonsense.

This is 
> a considerable difference in 'oral length', but it's an artificial 


Now what does THAT mean?


> consequence of the available phoneme inventory; the actual 


define please.

complexities 


define please.

> are the same.  Similarly, with our ten digits we can express any integer 
> from 0 through 999 using a string of at most three symbols; in binary, 
> with only two symbols available, strings of as many as ten symbols 
> are necessary to express the same range of integers.

um, yeah. that's pretty interesting.

> 
> Brian M. Scott


David

"Heideggerian hope comes into question." J.D.
