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From: john@frog.UUCP (John Woods, Software)
Newsgroups: comp.std.internat,sci.lang
Subject: Re: Change the software or the alphabet?
Message-ID: <1890@frog.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 26-Oct-87 19:48:00 EST
Article-I.D.: frog.1890
Posted: Mon Oct 26 19:48:00 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 29-Oct-87 19:45:35 EST
References: <1446@haddock.ISC.COM> <365@zuring.cwi.nl>
Organization: Superfrog Heaven [ CRDS, Framingham MA ]
Lines: 35
Xref: mnetor comp.std.internat:299 sci.lang:1618

In article <365@zuring.cwi.nl>, dik@cwi.nl (Dik T. Winter) writes:
>In article <1446@haddock.ISC.COM> karl@haddock.isc.com (Karl Heuer) writes:
>>                                         The alphabet is the servant of Man,
>>not the other way around; thus it is appropriate to suggest that it should
>>evolve to meet Man's changing needs.
> 
> Oh yes, pi is about 3.1103.
> I do not understand you ask?
> ...etc...

Fie on you.  Languages are constantly evolving to meet the needs of those
using them (except, perhaps, for CERTAIN languages with governmental bodies
created to ensure permanent ossification... :-).  English, for instance,
dropped grammar-coding endings many centuries ago, mostly because of the
difficulties people encountered in trying to reconcile differing sets of
endings (thanks to the recent Norse invaders, etc.) (there is a PBS series,
and a corresponding book, "The Story of English", that tells of this and many
more things, in quite an entertaining style).

Some believe that humans walk upright because of evolving to better use tools.
Perhaps you feel this was a mistake, and that sticks should have been designed
to be used while knuckle-walking... :-)

(Note, I don't necessarily feel that alphabets must, or even should, change
because of inadequacies of computers.  It's still an idea worth contemplating,
however.)

--
John Woods, Charles River Data Systems, Framingham MA, (617) 626-1101
...!decvax!frog!john, ...!mit-eddie!jfw, jfw@eddie.mit.edu

"Cutting the space budget really restores my faith in humanity.  It
eliminates dreams, goals, and ideals and lets us get straight to the
business of hate, debauchery, and self-annihilation."
		-- Johnny Hart