>
>At 16:25 5/12/98 +0000, Charles wrote:
>>Robin Gaskell wrote:
>>>
>>> At 04:14 AM 12/1/98 +0000, you wrote:
>>> >Robin Gaskell wrote:
>>> >
>>> >>     Can we in all honestness say that a word in a modern language
embodies
>>> >> the essence of the concept contained, rather than acts as a simple
label
>>> >> for a thing or action?
>>> >  [  ..........  ]
>>
>>>     I agree that often our intent is not known to our listeners, BUT,
>>> belonging to the Old School of Communication, I believe this is the result
>>> of a fault in our ability to communicate.
>>
>>The purpose of speech is to bend others to your will,
>>lie cheat and steal effectively, and confuse everybody.
>>Just look at Microsoft, GM and Ford, and the other Nazis.
>>
>*    The problem could be that I REJECT this "Philosophy of Deceit", and
>fervently hope that we find an IAL that is hard to tell lies in.
>
>     In some languages there is a specific word for each particular thing:
these languages do not lend themselves well to metaphor nor
generalisations; these are what I call the concrete languages.  Some
languages, on the other hand, have the generalities built-in, and allow for
the type of mentation that allows similar concepts to be grouped; also,
they allow of the formation of new words to convey new concepts by the
combining of semantic elements: I guess these are the 'concept languages'.
The simple distinction between these two types of language is between Latin
and Greek.  The Greeks did the original creative thinking - at the concept
level, and the Romans copied the Greek artefacts - in a mechanical (or
concrete) sort of way.
>
>Saluta,
> Robin Gaskell
>
>
>>>  I don't
>>understand your use of concrete vs. concept. If anything,
>>I really like honest fuzziness and vagueness much better
>>than an ultimately illusory compulsive specificity.
>>
ROBIN GASKELL:  [log in to unmask]   Webpage: www.zeta.org.au/~rgaskell
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