There are certainly languages with null conjunctions. At least Dvandvas look very similar.Ear of the Sphinx wrote:I'd say that “two plus two equals four” is a transcription of a methematical formula “2+2=4” and, as such, this type of diagrams isn't designed to deal with that.
“plus” looks like a conjunction because infix operators tend to look like conjunctions. (In general, they have a similar role.)
But then, the mathematical notation doesn't always work like a natural language. There are, for instance, formulas like “ee equals em cee squared” (E=mc²), with multiplication by juxtaposition (“null” infix operator), which doesn't have a counterpart in the natural language (“null conjunction”?).
Diagram "Two plus two equals four"?
- Creyeditor
- MVP
- Posts: 5091
- Joined: 14 Aug 2012 19:32
Re: Diagram "Two plus two equals four"?
Creyeditor
"Thoughts are free."
Produce, Analyze, Manipulate
1 2 3 4 4
Ook & Omlűt & Nautli languages & Sperenjas
Papuan languages, Morphophonology, Lexical Semantics
"Thoughts are free."
Produce, Analyze, Manipulate
1 2 3 4 4
Ook & Omlűt & Nautli languages & Sperenjas
Papuan languages, Morphophonology, Lexical Semantics
- Ear of the Sphinx
- mayan
- Posts: 1587
- Joined: 23 Aug 2010 01:41
- Location: Nose of the Sun
Re: Diagram "Two plus two equals four"?
Does it have a counterpart in English, though?
Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd.
- Creyeditor
- MVP
- Posts: 5091
- Joined: 14 Aug 2012 19:32
Re: Diagram "Two plus two equals four"?
I don't think it has.
Creyeditor
"Thoughts are free."
Produce, Analyze, Manipulate
1 2 3 4 4
Ook & Omlűt & Nautli languages & Sperenjas
Papuan languages, Morphophonology, Lexical Semantics
"Thoughts are free."
Produce, Analyze, Manipulate
1 2 3 4 4
Ook & Omlűt & Nautli languages & Sperenjas
Papuan languages, Morphophonology, Lexical Semantics
Re: Diagram "Two plus two equals four"?
It seems to me that the absence of conjunction of multiplication is an adaptation from natural language where
Five times thing is five things
5xT = 5T
Five times thing is five things
5xT = 5T
- eldin raigmore
- korean
- Posts: 6352
- Joined: 14 Aug 2010 19:38
- Location: SouthEast Michigan
Re: Diagram "Two plus two equals four"?
I am still following this with much interest! (Although I haven't posted in a while.)
Thanks to everyone who has chimed in!
Especially to Creyeditor, for the diagram.
I agree "plus" is likelier a conjunction than, say, an adposition; though as has been pointed out, it could be in the process of transitioning from one part-of-speech to another.
And all the tangential topics are just fascinating!
Thanks again!
Thanks to everyone who has chimed in!
Especially to Creyeditor, for the diagram.
I agree "plus" is likelier a conjunction than, say, an adposition; though as has been pointed out, it could be in the process of transitioning from one part-of-speech to another.
And all the tangential topics are just fascinating!
Thanks again!
My minicity is http://gonabebig1day.myminicity.com/xml
Re: Diagram "Two plus two equals four"?
"+" and "=" in 2+2=4 are verbs in Chinese and in Chinese grammar the sentence is fine.
-
- mayan
- Posts: 2080
- Joined: 11 Jan 2015 23:22
- Location: USA
Re: Diagram "Two plus two equals four"?
Well, sort of, at least:svld wrote:"+" and "=" in 2+2=4 are verbs in Chinese and in Chinese grammar the sentence is fine.
二加二等于四
èr jiā èr děng yú sì
two add two equal to four
two plus two equals four
In a non-mathematical context, I'm pretty sure that the subject of 加 jiā "to add" is always the person or thing doing the adding; however, in the above statement, the subject of 加 is not the person or thing doing the adding but the thing being added to, which would probably be strange in a non-mathematical context.
Additionally, this is more pedantic than relevant to the discussion, but 等于 děng yú isn't really a verb, but an adjective (等 děng "equal") and a preposition (于 yú "in, at", here better translated as "to"), similar to English "equal to". While 等于 could be described as a verb meaning "to be equal to", especially since the individual characters are rather antiquated on their own* outside of compound words, I think it's more accurate to analyze it as a set phrase that borrows classical usage. Like in English, you could also read = as 是 shì "is", which is a verb, but like in English, that's probably more of a colloquial shorthand than a "proper" alternate reading of the equals sign.
*although 等 is commonly used in the modern language as a verb meaning "to wait", and has a variety of other meanings in other contexts
- eldin raigmore
- korean
- Posts: 6352
- Joined: 14 Aug 2010 19:38
- Location: SouthEast Michigan
Re: Diagram "Two plus two equals four"?
Still following; still interested!
"Thanks" @ the most recent posters.
"Thanks" @ the most recent posters.
My minicity is http://gonabebig1day.myminicity.com/xml