No, we are looking for "phrase" and we found it long ago.
----- Original Message ----- From: Michael Dykman <[email protected]> Date: Wednesday, February 10, 2010 11:14 Subject: Re: [Jchat] Newbie Musings 2: How I got to J To: Chat forum <[email protected]> > from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saying > > Aphorism. A concise definition, notably memorable. > Adage. An aphorism that has gained credibility by > virtue of long use. > > Is it possible that we are looking for 'adage' here? > > - michael dykman > > On Wed, Feb 10, 2010 at 2:07 PM, Roger Hui <[email protected]> wrote: > > In natural languages, a phrase book would be quite > > a different thing from a book of aphorisms. > > A phrase book would contain practically useful items > > like "Excuse me, where is the nearest toilet", > > whereas an aphorism book would have things like > > "I think, therefore I am." > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: Dan Bron <[email protected]> > > Date: Wednesday, February 10, 2010 7:38 > > Subject: Re: [Jchat] Newbie Musings 2: How I got to J > > To: 'Chat forum' <[email protected]> > > > >> Björn wrote: > >> > Just out of curiosity I would like to know if what APL > >> called idioms > >> > is also called idioms in J or if people prefer to call > >> it phrases in J > >> > >> I don't like "phrases" because it is too generic; any J sentence > >> or clause is a "phrase". Others deprecate "idioms" because it > >> implies the meaning is unpredictable given the component words > >> (e.g. "kick the bucket"), whereas the meaning of a J idiom is > >> completely predictable from (in fact, is determined by) its > >> components words. > >> > >> What we need is a word that means "common, useful, memorable > >> phrase" or "a phrase that is so common it is essentially a word, > >> and is > >> easily recognized and recalled"*. How about: > >> > >> Aphorism: A concise definition, notably memorable. > >> > >> Of course, we have other choices: > >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saying . I love WP! > >> > >> -Dan > >> > >> * This "the phrase as a word" is the motivation for the use of > >> "idiom", > >> because as a word is composed of letters, and > >> its meaning is > >> unrelated to those letters, so a idiom is > >> composed of words, and > >> its meaning is unrelated to those words; I > >> think there is a technical > >> linguisitic term for these "component words", > >> and I thought it was > >> "lexemes", but WP disagrees. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
