Re: [tied] Re: Language and Complexity (was Inuit)

>(a) Simplicity depends on the point of view of the perceiver. A >native
>speaker of Sanskrit and a native speaker of Mandarin might have >very
>different views about what a "simple" language is.

Yes, like for instance, a Mandarin speaker often views plurals, irregular
spelling and the nasty 3rd person singular present -s marker on verbs (ie:
go vs. goes) as complex. An English speaker usually thinks Mandarin tones
and relative clauses are complex.

>(b) "Simple" (for an English speaker) might mean "with minimal >inflexion".

Then... that would make Mandarin "simple" to learn.
Why, I'd say: Women dou gai shuo Hanyu le!

- gLeN
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