> Then again, I do not have a problem with J using trident > to refer to something that is not a sharp pointy weapon
Nor I, Raul. But that may be because it hasn't yet defeated me, in a task I've set myself. Which is: to explain J to a novice who knows APL. (I don't have to defend it: just impart it.) To do so I have to find some common ground. A meta-language capable of describing both APL and J would be nice. English Grammar? Are you serious? (...my pupil will say.) The problem is worse than I realised. It appears (see Roger's posting on this topic) that I and my APLer pupil daren't even assume we mean the same thing by "value", let alone "array", "vector", "variable" or "function"... And that's even before I go trying to explain "ignotum per ignotius" (=the unknown by the even-more unknown) by introducing terms from a humanities' discipline: "noun", "pronoun", "verb", "proverb" (..."proverb"??) I'm going to have to write a position paper and invite comments. I don't want to clutter this list with a theological discussion which shouldn't be taking place so late in life. "Fools raise questions that wise men answered a thousand years ago" (Goethe). The "wise men" notably include Ken ...who however was writing about a computer language yet to be implemented, let alone named. http://www.jsoftware.com/books/pdf/arithmetic.pdf (Brian's ref... thanks.) ...Or was he? Wasn't he rather expounding a new philology of Arithmetic, with application to the design of computer languages in general? An original philology; an idiosyncratic one... and that's a point that can't be evaded with my APLer pupil. Ian On Mon, Oct 25, 2010 at 2:46 PM, Raul Miller <[email protected]> wrote: > On Mon, Oct 25, 2010 at 12:44 AM, Ian Clark <[email protected]> wrote: >> Thanks, Roger. >> >> So... if when referring to a statement: foo=: i. 9 >> I call foo a "pronoun" and say it corresponds (kind-of) to a variable >> in APL, nobody's going to disagree? >> >> Am I the only one who has a problem with this? > > Probably not, however, personally I do not have a problem > with it. > > Then again, I do not have a problem with J using trident > to refer to something that is not a sharp pointy weapon > (and nevertheless is also not chewing gum). > > -- > Raul > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
