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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
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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.