12.1410, Disc: How Do You Demonstrate Recursion?

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LINGUIST List:  Vol-12-1410. Tue May 22 2001. ISSN: 1068-4875.

Subject: 12.1410, Disc: How Do You Demonstrate Recursion?

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1)
Date:  Mon, 21 May 2001 14:38:55 +0100
From:  Geoffrey Sampson <geoffs at cogs.susx.ac.uk>
Subject:  Re: 12.1345, Disc: New: How do you demonstrate recursion?

-------------------------------- Message 1 -------------------------------

Date:  Mon, 21 May 2001 14:38:55 +0100
From:  Geoffrey Sampson <geoffs at cogs.susx.ac.uk>
Subject:  Re: 12.1345, Disc: New: How do you demonstrate recursion?


To me it seems clear that the kind of linguistic structure described would
not, if that was all the structure a language had, be regarded as
demonstrating recursion in grammar.  Sticking similar things together one
after another in long sequences is what people call parataxis, _as opposed
to_ hypotaxis.  For clear recursion, you need cases where an element of
type X is a small part of an enclosing element also of type X.


G.R. Sampson, Professor of Natural Language Computing

School of Cognitive & Computing Sciences
University of Sussex
Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QH, GB

e-mail geoffs at cogs.susx.ac.uk
web http://www.grsampson.net

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