🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <RJC.92Nov19162241@daiches.cogsci.ed.ac.uk>
rjc@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Richard Caley) writes:

>In article <1992Nov17.221542.17555@husc3.harvard.edu>, 
>Michael Zeleny writes:

MZ:
>>Even granting your alleged ability [to find contexts to separate
>>synonyms], it is obvious that it does nothing to exclude the
>>context-dependent theories of meaning.  

RC:
>The problem here is that the phenomenon becomes purely theoretical.
>You _can't_ put two phrases or whatever into the same contex for the
>same reason you can't put two physical objects into the same 4-space
>location, not enough room.

I see no reason to suppose that the salient contextual features are
unique and irreproducible, in the sense you seem to suggest.

MZ:
>>The best NL examples are furnished by good translations.

RC:
>Give me one example. Even phrases in languages I know nothing of are
>not interchangable unless they are phonetically _very_ similar, which
>is a bit of a degenerate case for synonymy. If I understand, even
>vaguely, one of the languages, then all kinds of contextual effects
>are going to ruin any equivalence you wish to set up.

I have no interest in playing your game.  Feel free to select any
number of phrases from the first chapter of an arbitrary foreign
language textbook.  If you wish to maintain semantic uniqueness
against all evidence to the contrary, you will be able to do so, no
matter what sort of examples I adduce.  Aggordingly, this exchange is
quite pointless.

MZ:
>>Following Montague, I believe that deicticaly disambiguated natural
>>languages *are* formal languages.

RC:
>This is either empty or patently false, either way it doesn't reflect
>the Montague as I have seen. I think you need a different verb in that
>opaquely embedded phrase :-).

Mea culpa, -- I should have said that my reference was to Richard
Montague's writing, specifically to the famous paper "English as a
Formal Language" (Bruno Visentini et al., editors, _Linguaggi nella
Societ\`a e nella Technica_, Milano, 1970), rather than to any other
aspect of his person.  Depending on when you have seen him last, the
LAPD might be very interested in talking to you.  Followups to
alt.true-crime.

>--
>rjc@cogsci.ed.ac.uk				_O_
>						 |<

cordially,
mikhail zeleny@husc.harvard.edu
"Le cul des femmes est monotone comme l'esprit des hommes."