On Fri, Oct 24, 2003 at 10:54:26PM +0200, David Jardine wrote:
> On Fri, Oct 24, 2003 at 12:11:49PM -0700, Erik Steffl wrote:
> >
> > english is like lego, yes there are some pieces that change shape
> > etc. but it consists mostly of bricks and brick like pieces. german (and
> > lot of other languages) is more like putty - you mold things together.
> > the lego-like structure of english makes it easier to create a computer
> > language...
> >
>
> But what the hell is English about the syntax of, for example,
>
> if(isRed(the_fork)) ?
>
> It sounds more like Italian to me.
>
I think the "the" is throwing you:
I would say isRed(fork) contains an implied [it] and [a]:
[it] | is | fork
-----|----|----------
| | \ \
\a \red
fork is a "predicate noun", red is an adjective
But fork.isRed would be:
fork | is \ red
-----|-----\----
|
fork is the subject, red is "a predicate adjective"
i'm just guessing, haven't diagrammed sentences since 6th grade
I don't even think they teach this anymore
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