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Re: Logical Structure vs. Syntactic Structure



> <At this point, please understand that I am only naming some
> issues here on my mind.  I too do not know how And handles 
> things in his conlang, though I vaguely gather it involves 
> employing quantifiers at the higher tree level as would be 
> demanded by straightforward logical representation.  I would
> be satisfied with *any* syntax that veriably assigns every 
> expression in the language one, and exactly one, equivalent 
> logical expression, and allows every possible logical 
> expression at least one linguistic expression.  That seems
> to me the minimal requirement for any true loglang.>
> 
> Much too easy and way too hard.  Any logic is going to give an 
infinite 
> number of equivalent forms for each expression -- some trivial, 
some not at 
> all.  And any form can be taken as a Logical expression, an atom.  
You want, 
> I suppose, a canonical form (defined some way other than "What my 
rules give" 
> -- and lots of luck with that) and one that is derived in some 
explanatory 
> way from the original expression (ditto, for "explanatory").  I 
think it is 
> enough if you get one that works every time you use the tools at 
hand -- and 
> maybe never get one that is seriously wrong (unless the original is 
screwed 
> us in unnoticed ways).

I should have said "assigns every expression in the language 
one, and exactly one, *set* of logically equivalent expressions".
Is it your feeling that there is no possibility of demonstrating 
that the rules of a constructed grammar indeed lead to such an 
unambiguous logical mapping? 

I am still digesting the rest of your post.  A lot of food of
thought, as well as leads to areas which will deserve my further
investigation.  Interesting...


Regards

---   Mike