[net.nlang] "Our Concern is Growing"

rcd@opus.UUCP (Dick Dunn) (09/29/84)

> I can see six possible interpretations of "He made the robot fast":
>...
> 1. He constructed a robot, and did it quickly.
> ...
> 4. He increased the speed of the robot.

But if you allow this sort of construction of meaning, you ought to be able
to get a lot more meanings--these two are grammatically incorrect
interpretations.  (I'm NOT nitpicking--the grammatical incorrectness of
some interpretations of a statement is a useful feature in reducing
ambiguity and increasing the chance of being understood.)  And, as far as
the "contest" is concerned, if you don't draw the line here, where do you
stop?  (How about homonyms, for instance?)
-- 
Dick Dunn	{hao,ucbvax,allegra}!nbires!rcd		(303)444-5710 x3086
   ...Never offend with style when you can offend with substance.

boyajian@akov68.DEC (Jerry Boyajian) (10/07/84)

I realize that this is a bit late, but something just occurred to me the other
day while I was talking about the "Our Concern is Growing" slogan.

It was suggested that this slogan was triply ambiguous, but it isn't --- it's
quadruply ambiguous. There are two basic interpretations of "concern": (1) worry
or anxiety, and (2) a company or business. Likewise, there are two basic inter-
pretations of growing: (a) increasing, and (b) causing to grow.

It should therefore be obvious that the possible number of permutations is
four:

	1-a, 1-b, 2-a, 2-b.


--- jayembee (Jerry Boyajian, DEC, Maynard, MA)

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