WikiDiscuss

WikiDiscuss


The Quandary about xorlo

> > indeed, I believe names are mass
> > nouns).
> > The point was that when you consider the normal
> > behaviour of English mass nouns, the behaviour
> > of Mr Broda seems less odd.
> >
> > --And.
>
> Gee, I was taught at one time or another that
> names were logical constants or descriptions or
> quantifiers. I suppose mass nouns will do as
> well, the bits being spatio-temporal slabs, I
> suppose.

I think mass nouns are logical constants. And
constants can be treated as quantifiers. So no
contradictions here.

> Let's see how names and Dr. Dr. compare
> to paradigm mass nouns. Well, names are like
> mass nouns in thet the mass is prior to the
> slices metaphysically; Dr. Dr. however is
> derivative from the individual doctors (which I
> suppose are the bits here).

Yes. But the prior/derivative distinction is a
matter of one's personal ontology. I can easily
see why you see names & masses as prior &
Dr Dr as derivative, but I can't see why one
can't see Dr Dr as equally prior.

> Dr. Dr. and names
> agree in restricting the shapes of bits:
> presumably a blendreized joint practice is not a
> bit of Dr. Dr. ; bits have to be humanoid in a
> broad geometrical way. Names are strange in that
> the bits have all to be part of the same
> spatio-temporal continuity (or maybe causal to
> get Buddhist in); some bit not connected to
> others in such a continuity is not a bit of the
> named (well, there is resurrection but problems
> about mass nouns is the least of its troubles).

This is only a tendency. E.g. some nations are
discontinuous spatially (e.g. Russia) or temporally
(e.g. Poland).

> Dr. Dr. bits can be disconnected cmpletely (and,
> indeed, typically are) as are paradigm masses.
> All of this is, of course, of little relevance to
> Lojban, which lacks any native mass expressions.
> You can build them up but they always look
> phoney, since the masses are so clearly
> etymologically built up of the "bits" — Dr.
> Dr.'s problem again. Analogies from paradigm
> masses to either names or Dr. Dr. are going to be
> pretty weak and in need of some pressing
> consideration to work. For Lojban they will be
> useless, since no pressing consideration can
> arise in that ontology.

At least you seem to grasp the point I was making.

--And.