Xref: utzoo sci.lang:7054 comp.cog-eng:1746 sci.psychology:3175 sci.philosophy.tech:3158
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!ucsd!ucbvax!agate!shelby!eos!amelia!wilbur.nas.nasa.gov!eugene
From: eugene@wilbur.nas.nasa.gov (Eugene N. Miya)
Newsgroups: sci.lang,comp.cog-eng,sci.psychology,sci.philosophy.tech
Subject: Re: Computer Languages and the Sapir/Whorf hypothesis
Keywords: computer languages, Sapir/Whorf hypothesis, linguistics, snow, eskimos
Message-ID: <7948@amelia.nas.nasa.gov>
Date: 23 Aug 90 05:09:20 GMT
References: <5137@munnari.oz.au> <1445@anaxagoras.ils.nwu.edu> <1990Aug22.194652.7421@fs-1.iastate.edu>
Sender: news@amelia.nas.nasa.gov
Reply-To: eugene@wilbur.nas.nasa.gov (Eugene N. Miya)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
Lines: 30

While I am in this group.
Lakoff was mentioned.  I also found an interesting, but a little dense
reference in J. Fodor's The Language of Thought.  This suggestions came
from Steve Stevenson at Clemson who moderates comp.parallel (now there
is difficult concept).  Weinberg and all the other CS writers are okay,
but they are not cognitive-types (nor am I, I am a behaviorist by orientation
[Premack]).  Another book I am just starting to read are some ideas by
Piaget.  More after I finish.  I've decided I must get some of Whorf's
writings because second hand net accounts lose everything.

There are a couple of ACM SIGPLAN Notices papers which cited Whorf.
They were okay.

But, I relate and interesting story discussing this type of topic with
Bill Burke, UCSC Physics Dept., July 4, 1990.  Bill brought up Chinese,
and how in the past there was no concept of the kidney as a separate
organ, it was a combination of functions and that the concept of a
kidney transplant was inconceivable because it had all this
functionality tied together.

I think the English language cripples our ability to write parallel
programming languages.  Even my use of the word biases you.  I note that
comp.lang.* isn't even on the list.  P.S. Piaget has a few words to
say about parallelism and simultaneity.

Regarding snow: there's Firn, Neve, Sastugi, etc.  Ask Ed LaChapelle
(U. WA, Geology) how many words the Eskimo have.  He will know.

--e. nobuo miya, NASA Ames Research Center, eugene@orville.nas.nasa.gov
  {uunet,mailrus,other gateways}!ames!eugene