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From: jps@cat.cmu.edu (James Salsman)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Is "Me" -> "Family" -> "Race" an Interpolation or an Extrapolation?
Message-ID: <5490@pt.cs.cmu.edu>
Date: 12 Jul 89 07:11:30 GMT
References: <5453@pt.cs.cmu.edu> <2061@cbnewsh.ATT.COM> <5480@pt.cs.cmu.edu>
Organization: Carnegie Mellon
Lines: 41

When the object referenced by the word "Me" in generalized,
it can be done in many ways.  Here are four:

1. genetically		yeilding "Family," "Race," etc.
2. geographically	yeilding "City," "State," "Nation," etc.
3. institutionally	yeilding "Business," "Profession," "School," etc.
4. memetically		yeilding "Style," "Philosophy," "Point of View", etc.

My question is whether this is an "interpolation" or an "extrapolation."

The _American_Heritage_Dictionary_ in CMU's Library
Information System is not that helpful...  are there any
linguists out there that can formalize this mapping in
proper English?

 ENTRY     interpolate (in-TER'puh-layt') v. -lated, -lating, -lates. --tr.
 MEANING   1. To insert or introduce between other elements or parts.  2. a. To
           insert (material) into a text.  b. To insert into a conversation.
           3. To change or falsify (a text) by introducing new or false
           material.  4. Math. To determine a value of (a function) between
           known values by a procedure or algorithm different from that
           specified by the function itself. --intr.  To make insertions or
           additions.
 DOMAIN    Literature, Rhetoric, Philosophy  Mathematics

 ENTRY     extrapolate (ik-STRAP'uh-layt') v. -lated, -lating, -lates. --tr.
 MEANING   1. Math. To estimate (a value or values of a function) for values of
           the argument not used in the process of estimation; infer (a value
           or values) from known values.  2. To infer or estimate by extending
           or projecting known information. --intr.  To engage in the process
           of extrapolating.
 DOMAIN    Mathematics

I'm grateful to Marie desJardins for pointing out the
problem with the two words.

:James Salsman
::Disclaimer:  My views don't reflect those of any institution.
-- 

:James P. Salsman (jps@CAT.CMU.EDU)