Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83 (MC830713); site tjalk.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!whuxlm!harpo!decvax!genrad!wjh12!harvard!seismo!mcvax!vu44!botter!tjalk!dick From: dick@tjalk.UUCP (Dick Grune) Newsgroups: net.ai,net.nlang Subject: Re: natural language deficiencies? Message-ID: <367@tjalk.UUCP> Date: Fri, 26-Oct-84 10:10:47 EST Article-I.D.: tjalk.367 Posted: Fri Oct 26 10:10:47 1984 Date-Received: Sun, 28-Oct-84 07:11:47 EST References: <12582@sri-arpa.UUCP> <12300003@uicsl.UUCP> <194@oliveb.UUCP> <619@gloria.UUCP> <801@aplvax.UUCP> Organization: VU Informatica, Amsterdam Lines: 25 Xref: mcvax net.ai:1458 net.nlang:94 > > From: dan@aplvax.UUCP (Daniel M. Sunday) > Newsgroups: net.ai,net.nlang > Subject: Re: natural language deficiencies? > It is well-known that the Hopi (American Indian) language only has a > present tense, there are no past or future tenses for their verbs. > Surely this is a language deficiency. It is well-known that the English language only has a genderless substantive, there are no masculine or feminine forms for their substantives. Surely this is a language deficiency. It is well-known that the English language only has a sizeless substantive, there is no diminuitive form for their substantives. Surely this is a language deficiency. There is no (reasonable) way to render Dutch: leraresje (little female teacher) into English. Dick Grune Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and my name isn't Richard.