[Lexicog] Re: Interesting inquiry

[Rudolph Troike]

...
> Methinks this false syllogism (of phrasal synonymising (Am.) ||
> synonymising (Br.) is too obvious to be taken seriously, and the
> author was having fun with you. But we had fun with the syllogism, so
> the joke is on us, and we are prepared to laugh (or at least smile).
> Your explanation to the inquisitor would be even more fun to know.

Scott Nelson

Scott,

   No, he is quite serious about the project, and forwarded me the
whole context when I raised questions about the possible interpretations
within the confines of the quoted sentence. He has done enough homework
to find and use (I'm not clear why) a POS tagger demo at UIUC, and to
consult the 1913 Webster's Int'l accessible online. In addition, he's
used the method with several other texts, and had serious questions
asking for clarifications of my explanation of some of the problems
(e.g. the selection of "chide", as you noted). As I said, what is
interesting -- and should give any lexicographer pause -- is his literal
use of definitions to substitute for the word at issue, chaining this
with new terms as introduced in definitions. It's something I had never
thought of as a plausible step, but it makes sense, if one takes dictionary
definitions literally.

   He told me that he has some 15 pages of similar substitutions, and
would like to consult with a lexicographer about these. Again, if anyone
is willing, his address is:

   Keith R. Percy
   Keith.Percy at gmail.com

   Rudy



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