From: Richard Lindeman (richlind@ix.netcom.com)
Date: Mon Mar 23 1998 - 13:26:41 EST
George wrote:
>
>Hi Rich ~
>
>Is THIS what the thrust of this 'Aktionsart business' is all about?
>Not so much, as I believe you misspoke a tad [above], to know 'the
>very thoughts of an author', but to know his THINKING?? To gain entry
>into the mental process that creates the understanding that then
>selects the concepts that become the words that are then scripted on
>the parchment? NO WONDER it comes across as so arcane and esoteric a
>topic... If that is indeed its focus and intent.!!! Daaah!! I am
>SOooo stupid!!
>
>Now look ~ This level of activity will NEVER be 'explainable', or
>accessible, to linguistic or any other science ~ How COULD it be??
>I hope this is not what Aktionsart is attempting...
>
>YIKES!!! Get me OFF this podium!!! :-) :-)
>
>George
>
I don't take it this way at all George. Remember... the purpose of
language in the first place is in fact to communicate thoughts. So then why
can we not conjecture that even the very words of a language, and
particularly its verbs are constructed in such a way as to enable this
process? In the little that I have seen of Aktionsart terminology it
actually looks pretty impressive to me. What I was trying to say is that I
don't think that it will *always* work or that it will work as effectively
as some of its proponents may think. for some of the reasons that you
state above.
Rich Lindeman
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