Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/3/84; site opus.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxj!houxm!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!tektronix!hplabs!hao!cires!nbires!opus!rcd From: rcd@opus.UUCP (Dick Dunn) Newsgroups: net.nlang Subject: Re: "Our Concern is Growing" (cheats?) Message-ID: <834@opus.UUCP> Date: Sat, 29-Sep-84 02:15:31 EDT Article-I.D.: opus.834 Posted: Sat Sep 29 02:15:31 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 26-Sep-84 06:28:52 EDT References: <517@ames.UUCP> scc.143 <523@bunker.UUCP> Organization: NBI,Inc, Boulder CO Lines: 16 > I can see six possible interpretations of "He made the robot fast": >... > 1. He constructed a robot, and did it quickly. > ... > 4. He increased the speed of the robot. But if you allow this sort of construction of meaning, you ought to be able to get a lot more meanings--these two are grammatically incorrect interpretations. (I'm NOT nitpicking--the grammatical incorrectness of some interpretations of a statement is a useful feature in reducing ambiguity and increasing the chance of being understood.) And, as far as the "contest" is concerned, if you don't draw the line here, where do you stop? (How about homonyms, for instance?) -- Dick Dunn {hao,ucbvax,allegra}!nbires!rcd (303)444-5710 x3086 ...Never offend with style when you can offend with substance.