LL-L "Grammar" 2009.02.23 (06) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

===========================================
L O W L A N D S - L - 23 February 2009 - Volume 05
===========================================


From: Mike Morgan <mwmosaka at gmail.com>
Subject: LL-L "Grammar" 2009.02.23 (04) [E]

R/R wrote:

> Switzerland has four *different* languages.



As opposed to Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia-Hercegovina which have three
*SAME*languages! ;-) (maybe by now Montenegirn is a fourth?)



U C > || mwm
================
Dr Michael W Morgan
Ishara Foundation || ईशारा फॉउंडेशन  || イシャラ基金
Mumbai/Bombay *|* मुंबई *|* ムンバイ/ボンベイ (インド)
www.ishara.org
+++++++++++++++
"People interested only in the bottom line, seem to have forgotten that the
stars are in the oposite direction" (anon)
-------
Цхьана буйна ши хорбаз тарлур яц.  = Ee kinnae haud twa wattermelon wi ae
niv.


----------

From: Luc Hellinckx <luc.hellinckx at gmail.com>
Subject: LL-L "Grammar"

Beste Ron,



You wrote:



*I have three different questions for you.
(where these are different from previously asked ones)*



Maybe this kind of phrasing just wants to stand as far apart as possible
from:



*I will ask you the (same) question thrice.*



In which case it is the same question, which is being repeated, but the
consequences of an answer to that question can be different. So does that
make it the same question? *s*



Are you going to surrender?



*Possible answer: No. Possible reaction: OK, we'll fight on.*



Two weeks later, after lots of bloodshed: Are you going to surrender?



*Possible answer: No. Possible reaction: OK, we'll fight on, and those that
we catch, we consider them POW.*



Two weeks later, almost everybody dead...the general still alive. Are you
going to surrender?



*Possible answer: Yep.*



I admit, it shows that I've been reading about the battle of Stalingrad.



When the question "Are you going to surrender" was asked, a "yes" or a "no"
could produce different outcomes with differing probabilities in the ongoing
battle. So, if you isolate the initial question from all context, OK, it
remains the same question...but...language has little or no meaning without
a context, so in some respect, even though the words remain the same,
semantics do change.



On the other hand, if one says, I'm going to ask three different questions,
immediately from the start it's quite clear that a changing context is not
influential.



Will say it again and again...going once...twice...sold...



OK, you could cut that down too...but in the case of an auction, I don't
think many people would agree *s*



Same with "to reiterate"...to iterate already means to perform repeatedly,
strictly speaking, the "re" as such is not necessary...however...



Kind greetings,



Luc Hellinckx

•

==============================END===================================

 * Please submit postings to lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org.

 * Postings will be displayed unedited in digest form.

 * Please display only the relevant parts of quotes in your replies.

 * Commands for automated functions (including "signoff lowlands-l")

   are to be sent to listserv at listserv.linguistlist.org or at

   http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-lowlands-l.html.

*********************************************************************
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lowlands-l/attachments/20090223/a53d0a83/attachment.htm>