On 10 Feb 2005 at 4:58, dhbailey wrote: > Darcy James Argue wrote: > > [snip] > > No, it absolutely does. Let me try one last time: > > > > "Dog bites man." > > > > "Man bites dog." > > > > What's the difference? Same three words. Different meaning. What > > accounts for the difference? > > > > Grammar. Grammar controls meaning. > > Actually, meaning controls grammar.
Yes! Grammar is a mere tool by which we convey meaning. > We have the thought first, then we express it in a manner that we can > be reasonably sure our listener/reader can understand. Not sure about that, since grammar seems to be in some aspects hard- wired into our brains (though it's not inherent -- it's something that gets hardwired in the process of learning). But the point is: grammar is a system by which we communicate. It is not the message itself. It is not the meaning. -- David W. Fenton http://www.bway.net/~dfenton David Fenton Associates http://www.bway.net/~dfassoc _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
