"If a tree falls..."

[Duane Campbell]

Original message:

> Can anyone help me determine the origin of the philosophical conundrum "If
> a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound?"
>
> Fred Shapiro

I am frankly surprised to see such a question from an esteemed language
professional. It is not a philosophical conundrum at all. It is a semantic
question intended to play on the man in the street's ignorance of how
language works. There are two answers, and both are simple. If by "sound"
you mean the waves set off by the tree falling, the answer is "yes." If you
mean "sound" as the interpretation of those waves by the appropriate part of
the brain, the answer is "no."

Does that sound right?

D