Linguists reaching back to Saussure and the structuralists in the 1930s, possibly earlier, those who modeled linguistics as the study of a static object, believed that by identifying and describing the static features and parts of language, the structures that serve communication, they would have lifted the field to another level.
I know how you feel about word chords, Malcolm. It’s pretty amazing how language can be so layered and rich it bowls you over and then be so crisp and clear it’s impossible to wander from. Hey, thank you for the affirmation. I have been trying to be clear even at the risk of being boring. We need as much clarity as we can get these days
"Lived Experience" as a distinct, non-statistical element in human comprehension may be misplaced here.
Lived experience is likely a feedback mechanism that generates probabilities, not unlike RLHF. There seem to be three distinct "modes" of language and grammatical acquisition.
1. Raw input - Reading, listening, etc. Where word streams enter our awareness
2. Feedback - Production response, where we generate possible streams and receive feedback, including corrections from a parent or teacher, social feedback (e.g., faux pas), or incomprehension by a reader or listener.
3. Research - Deliberate seeking of information by an agent to discern meaning, like looking in a dictionary, conducting research, etc.
Social cues and embodiment may serve as feedback mechanisms that differ in form but not in function from their machine counterparts.
"He baked her a cake" conveying transfer despite "bake" not being a transfer verb."
(Putting a comma after "her" changes the meaning.)
As a songwriter/poet I try to line up words with complementary multiple meanings to convey what I would call "word chords"
In lines and stanzas.
This evening I listened to a 30 minute YouTube rap on Wittgenstein.
Terry your posts are alway clear and precise. Thank you.
I know how you feel about word chords, Malcolm. It’s pretty amazing how language can be so layered and rich it bowls you over and then be so crisp and clear it’s impossible to wander from. Hey, thank you for the affirmation. I have been trying to be clear even at the risk of being boring. We need as much clarity as we can get these days
Love it as usual.
"Lived Experience" as a distinct, non-statistical element in human comprehension may be misplaced here.
Lived experience is likely a feedback mechanism that generates probabilities, not unlike RLHF. There seem to be three distinct "modes" of language and grammatical acquisition.
1. Raw input - Reading, listening, etc. Where word streams enter our awareness
2. Feedback - Production response, where we generate possible streams and receive feedback, including corrections from a parent or teacher, social feedback (e.g., faux pas), or incomprehension by a reader or listener.
3. Research - Deliberate seeking of information by an agent to discern meaning, like looking in a dictionary, conducting research, etc.
Social cues and embodiment may serve as feedback mechanisms that differ in form but not in function from their machine counterparts.