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0 pointsenkid2y ago0 comments

The problem is that there are complex concepts that translate to a single syllable in some languages but requires a lot of context or explanation in other languages. Would these be "single instructions" or multiple? Then when you really break it down, many concepts are used grammatically but are not required based on their context. Should you count that as extraneous or not? An example is that some languages use a case system to indicate the epistemology of a statement, how the speaker knew that information (i.e. saw it first hand, heard it second hand, or saw evidence of it). Depending on the context, this may be vital or extraneous. Therefore the same statement that is "compressed" to remove useless information would be compressed two different ways. That doesn't seem feasible. All of this is to say, this sounds good in theory, but the complexities on practice are insurmountable.

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alcover2y ago

> single syllable in some languages but requires a lot of context or explanation in other languages

then don't these other langs do a 'bad job' at compression ?

> That doesn't seem feasible

In general maybe not. But for some restricted 'assembly' ?

"The cat is on the table" has no ambiguity. And in some langs like Polish it compresses better : "Kot jest na stole" (Cat is on table), same info, better syllable-wise compression (5 vs 7).

enkidOP2y ago

"The cat" has different information in it than "kot." That same sentence also translates to "A cat is on the table," but no English speaker would say "the cat" and "a cat" have the same meaning. In fact, I can't think of a context where both sentences would be interchangeable. The listener either already knows which cat is "the cat" or would be confused. "A cat" implies an unknown cat. If you walk into your house and say "a cat is on the table," the assumption is its an unknown cat. If you say "the cat" it's most likely a pet. In some contexts that matters and some it doesn't, therefore you can't just say Polish compresses better.

mbg7212y ago

"The cat" is folksy/chummy in a similar way to "the wife".

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pjc502y ago

Different languages "compress" different things depending on what was needed. The Qin emperor did not know of limited liability companies, due to the concept being invented several hundred years later in Europe, so Chinese writes "有限责任公司" where an English speaker would write "ltd."

Kanji look very compressed, and can convey a lot in a single character, but if there isn't one for your needs things can get ugly. Whereas English speakers find it much easier to borrow, shorten, abbreviate, or make up words for convenience.

lynguist2y ago

Kedi masada.

In Turkish if you say kedi you mean the cat. The copula is in the third person is conveyed by an empty word at the end of a sentence.

Masada bir kedi var.

There is a cat on the table. A cat is on the table. A cat is said as one cat = bir kedi.

*Bir kedi masada.

Doesn’t work. This says a cat on the table. It’s an ellipsis.

93po2y ago

> the complexities on practice are insurmountable.

“Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra” begs to differ

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