> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5180799/
> "...German researchers have found a border collie
> named Rico who understands more than 200 words ...
Does the border collie understand grammar? That is to say, can it
figure out the meanings of sentences containing 3 or more words, each
of which has a different grammatical context? For example, can the
collie distinguish between
Bring the ball to George.
and
Bring George to the ball.
?
As far as I know, the key human capability is being able to string
three or more words together meaningfully.
There is a big difference between
Mary should gather juniper berries.
and
Juniper berries should gather Mary.
but the difference is only meaningful if you speak a language with a
grammar that uses place to differentiate subject and object.
--
Robert J. Chassell Rattlesnake Enterprises
As I slowly update it, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
I rewrite a "What's New" segment for http://www.rattlesnake.com
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