English Grammar is NOT Logical ;)

[Raven Luni]

Just some sillyness to pass the time.....

Combinational logic in english grammar is ok when limited to NOT, AND and OR, but when NOR is used in a sentence it doesn't make sense. Example:

"I did neither this nor that"
= NOT ("this" NOR "that")
= NOT (NOT ("this" OR "that"))
= "I did this or that" !!

And have you ever heard someone using NAND in a sentence?

 

[donkey]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_negative
english is so messed up. the pronounciation of words is a great example
ought (ort)
thought (th ort)
wrought (r ort)
drought.... (dr out)
I never understand how we can have the most common language but there are so many little annoying things about it

 

[Raven Luni]

I never understand how we can have the most common language but there are so many little annoying things about it

One of the things it does make you realise is just how much we depend on "learned interpretations" as opposed to literally interpreting the words in a sentence. Example: A well-read person is understood to be someone who does / has done alot of reading rather than someone who has been read alot - because thats what we've all been taught it means.

And then we have context. Read is spelled the same in the present and past tense and we determine which is being used from the rest of the sentence.

As the wormhole beasties from DS9 would say: Its not linear

 

[(*steve*)]

It's really very simple.

In English, the word OR means NAND, or XOR. When I say "You may do A or B" what I mean is you are allowed to to nothing, A or B, but not both -- NAND. If I say "You must do A or B" then the meaning is closer to XOR.

Strictly speaking. saying "You can do A or B" is simply always true. Whatever you do, you will not break the rule. However in common usage is is normally meant to imply a NAND.

 

[Raven Luni]

But what if "you may do A AND B"? That can be nothing, one or both, unless its you must do A and B which is an AND?

 

[(*steve*)]

"May" means you are permitted to, it does not say you must (or indeed that you can).

As such, that statement is simply true (or false if the person is lying)

 

[Harald Kapp]

Do not think English is in a unique position here.

In common speach OR is mostly what XOR is in logic. If you tell someone he can take the left route or the right route, you don't mean that he can take both routes at the same time.

Language in general lacks logic (even if your language teacher tries to tell you otherwise).