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From: hinsenk@cyclone.ERE.UMontreal.CA (Hinsen Konrad)
Subject: Re: Anglais Adieu!
In-Reply-To: dg@lambek.sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de's message of 15 Feb 1995 15:59:44 GMT
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Date: Thu, 16 Feb 1995 21:38:40 GMT
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In article <DG.95Feb15165944@lambek.sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de> dg@lambek.sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de (Dale Gerdemann) writes:

   Esperantists are so terribly worried about the phenomenon of
   irregularity, but I haven't seen any evidence that Esperantists even
   understand the phenomenon that they're worried about. I, of course,
   have my own theory, but the last time I posted a theory it got twisted
   around backward and I ended up being accused of being a bad linguist.
   So why don't some of you Esperantists stick out your necks first. It
   should afterall be a crucial question for you.

I am not a linguist at all, but I will nevertheless try to give a
definition of "irregularity" that reflects the way in which Esperanto
differs from other languages:

  An irregularity is a rule that postulates different treatment
  for different words/expressions/sentences that do not reflect
  difference in meaning.

Examples:

- A plural marker has a purpose: it changes the meaning of a
  word. But it is an irregularity (according to this definition)
  if the plural marker is different for different words.
- Cases, defined by their use in sentence construction, generate
  differences in meaning. But different declensions, i.e. different
  rules to form the cases for different words, are irregularities.
- The existence of genders is an irregularity. The existence of
  different words and pronouns for beings of different sex, however,
  is not.

In that sense Esperanto has no irregularities.

I am sure the linguists on sci.lang can contribute some useful
comments, so I added sci.lang to the distribution list.

--
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