Language for taxonomic names
John Cowan
cowan at ccil.org
Tue Sep 23 16:00:50 CEST 2008
Doug Ewell scripsit:
> I agree with Peter Constable that this doesn't meet the requirements for
> a true "language." You can't express arbitrary content, or even
> particularly diverse content, in this system. It is usable for short
> phrases within a limited scope. At best, it's a profile of Latin.
That last, at least, it is not. A system that includes genus names
Batman, Chinchilla, Drinker, Iron, Tuxedo, Hunkydora, Leprechaunus,
Gollum, Nazgulia, Waddlia, Kaniwhaniwhanus, and Zyzzyzus, and species
names Gecko gekko, Heerz lukenatcha, Reissa roni, Dziwneono etcetera,
and Roberthoffstetteria nationalgeographica (no, not the longest) would
have left the Romans completely baffled.
Lots more at
http://cache.ucr.edu/~heraty/yanega.html#Curious%20Scientific%20Names .
--
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the friskiest group around --comes from cowan at ccil.org
forever being on the qui vive for the sound http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
of jack-booted fascism coming down the pike. --Molly Ivins
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