[YG Conlang Archives] > [engelang group] > messages [Date Index] [Thread Index] >

[Date Prev] [Date Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next]

Re: [engelang] what the l

On Wed, Sep 19, 2012 at 7:44 PM, And Rosta <and.rosta@hidden.email> wrote: 

Mike S., On 19/09/2012 21:41:


> Amusing analogy, but I think formal semantics is closer to
> mathematics than to metaphysics or mysticism.

To me it feels as though notion that the universe can meaningfully be represented with mathematicsy formal semantics is quasimystical.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for a formal semantics, for they will be filled." 

 
I've been finding it interesting sensing the metaphysical pain Martin has been experiencing in his discussions with me -- I say that with sympathy rather than sadism.

With all due respect it's not Martin that deserves the sympathy.   It's the whole loglang community who has been struggling for a quarter century for a clear interpretation of things like "la sma mlta", an _expression_ composed of two mundane one-place predicates and supposedly its most basic quantifier, that does.  I do believe that applying a combination of a very rigorous formal semantics and Xorxean intuition will crack the problem in the end.