Re: [cybalist] When obsessed mathematicians stray into the wrong ar

Glen Gordon wrote:

>
> Gerry:
> >Equations are simply one way to slice the pie
>
> Equations and linguistics just don't mix. They are opposite extremes.
> Linguistics IS in a world of science so there's no need to banter on about
> how mathematics will save us after the points I raised earlier.
>
> I'm a webdeveloper and programmer. I know how to solve a problem. You can't
> just naively translate phonology, grammar, nuances, etc into numbers. If you
> actually thought about this for more than two seconds and realized the
> exceedingly impossible algorithm one would need, you'd cringe as I do at the
> suggestion... but maybe you're an artist and aren't prone to such ordered
> thoughts. :P
>
> - gLeN

Never said that linguistics and equations mixed. What I do know is that
Neil Postman developed a set of text books on a mathematical approach to
linguistics which was incorporated into the California educational
system. Now math and linguistics as far as Noun =1; Verb =2; Adjective
=3; Adverb =4 seems to work. And a student can diagram a sentence using
a mathematical approach. Granted the idea seems a bit stifling;
however, *one* of the advantages could be that students now have a new
way of looking at language.

Gerry
--

Gerald Reinhart
Independent Scholar
(650) 321-7378
waluk@...
http://www.alekseevmanuscript.com