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4:56:04
beach
Today, my favorite coauthor is coming over for lunch, but there is not much work involved this time (bread is already baked, soup is ready for consumption) so I should be able to make some progress on bootstrapping as well.
5:13:19
no-defun-allowed
Yes, I have three more to go. After two weeks of year 12 orientation, summer vacation will begin.
5:13:29
beach
You guys are lucky that the summer vacation coincides with the end of the year. Here on the northern hemisphere, it's a mess.
5:13:47
no-defun-allowed
Those three are chemistry, physics and English language (not learning the language but about the language).
5:14:39
no-defun-allowed
Hah, maybe. Summer is still offset a month back to my intuition and that confuses me sometimes.
5:17:17
beach
English is a mess, but then, so is Swedish, because of the influence of German during the Hanseatic era and French during the periods when French was the language of choice for the royal courts.
5:17:35
no-defun-allowed
English colonies were the biggest influence after, with some new words and widening of word meanings from industrial progress also since 1500.
5:18:55
no-defun-allowed
Admittedly our English language teacher isn't very helpful, and topics go very slowly.
5:19:42
beach
Languages evolve seemingly without external influence, of course. I notice this because I visit Sweden at most once a year, and every time I go there, there is some change in usage and grammar.
5:19:45
no-defun-allowed
Once one of the principals came in during a visit by government inspectors and after the inspectors left I heard they didn't have a pleasant conversation.
5:20:31
no-defun-allowed
Yes, we are also taught about those too, as people adopt a language it is passed through internal filtering by the brain's grammar to acquire some regularity.
5:21:36
no-defun-allowed
One study was done where they gave participants gibberish words for collections of alien fruit. After about ten generations, the gibberish became very regular three-syllable words logically describing the collection.
5:23:13
beach
If you are interested in the English language, and language in general, his books are a must.
5:30:32
jcowan
no-defun-allowed, beach: I am a linguist by avocation, though English is my only language, so I will be glad to discuss English or linguistics in #lispcafe or elsewhere.