From: Richard Kennaway CMP RA <jrk@information-systems.east-anglia.ac.uk>
Date: Thu, 19 Sep 91 19:59:32 BST
To: conlang@buphy.bu.edu
Subject: Ticato?

I recently remembered an article I read more than twenty years ago.  The
magazine Science Journal (you won't have heard of it; it only lasted a
few years before merging with New Scientist) had a monthly column by
Edward de Bono on lateral thinking.  Each month he would set a problem,
and the readers' solutions would be discussed in a later issue.

One of the problems he set was of relevance to conlang: design a
language with no more than 20 words.

To my surprise, I found that the library here has a complete set of SJ,
so here's the problem as he stated it:


"It has become fashionable to be impressive through being unintelligible. 
Does efficiency in communication involve extending the means of
communication by adding new words or does it involve making better use of
words already available?  There does come a time when existing words
prove too cumbersome to describe a new concept and a new word is
necessary.  At other times an apparently complex concept can be
simplified by clever use of familiar words.

"Suppose your vocabulary was to be limited to 20 unalterable words. 
These words would have to suffice for ordinary day to day living, not for
technological communication.  They could not be supplemented by facial
expression, tone, gesture, or sign language.  Nor is picture material
allowed but simple indicative pointing is allowed.

"The words do not have to exist at present.  You can invent any words
with which you would like to communicate particular meanings.  The words
could be used separately or in any sequential manner.  What are your 20?"


Would any conlang-ers like to attempt the exercise?  He didn't mention
grammar - feel free to develop anything in the spirit of the exercise. 
Note that the words are "unalterable" - no inflections.  "Solutions"
which involve coding tricks, such as using the twenty words as
letters to spell out the real words, are right out.


The word I used as the subject of this message is from one of the
languages which readers submitted.  I won't explain it, as the concept it
expresses seems to me so fundamental to this problem that it would
influence everyone's solutions if I did.

--
Richard Kennaway          SYS, University of East Anglia, Norwich, U.K.
Internet:  jrk@sys.uea.ac.uk            uucp:  ...mcsun!ukc!uea-sys!jrk