On Wed, 30 Oct 2002, Martin D Kealey wrote:
: Hmmm...
:
: I've heard that this is a culturally driven thing: that whilst people can
: all disambiguate it, people from different cultures may do so differently
:
: In a "western" culture, exclusive-or is the assumed default unless context
: implies otherwise. But in many Pacific island cultures (*), if one offers
: "kava or coffee" one would be expected to provide both if answered "yes".
:
: -Martin
:
: (* This from annecdotal memory of 20 years ago, so I don't vouch that it
: still applies in any particular culture, but the essential point remains
: that the disambiguation is not as universal or consistent as may seem to us
: sitting here in Australasia, USA or Europe, speaking English.)
Well, it's actually a little worse than that. Not all languages do
noun disjunctions. In Japanese you can't ask
Want tea or coffee?
as far as I know. You have to ask
Want tea? Want coffee?
So I'm actually being a bit culturally imperialistic in pushing for
noun disjunctions. But I'm an American, and nobody expects better of
me. :-)
Larry
