h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You're right TC, that's exactly what I had in mind.

But what if the said action produced a result which in some manner lessened the effect of entropy? (as I understand it entropy is the process of everything gradually moving to a uniform state and governs the progress / evolution of the universe and everything in it). If an action had such an effect, which was contrary to the flow of the universe, could that then be described as a negative (although not necessarily detrimental) effect?
Similarly, if an action is performed in a perfect vacuum and affects nothing, then can it be said to have had a neutral effect?

Of course, some people would say that an action always produces an affect. But then we've already done that....

I think you've now introduced the concept of an action which has the effect of retardation, which leads one to conjecture the possibility of causing acceleration. Again, these could be considered positive (beneficial) or negative (detrimental) subjectively.

>> ...most people will never read it. Which may have a negative effect on them. <<

It already has .

Oh, let us weep for the masses , the unwashed, uninitiated, the illiterate, who have never found h2g2, and even more for those who are among us but not really with it enough to be party to this party of the 1st,2nd and 3rd parts, but most especially for those afraid of being wrong or afraid to ask a question.

We don't bite.
Do we?


~jwf~

And some people will say, "she's got it exactly right".

Bear with me; it will take but a moment to explain the need for a new word. One which we, the BritEngs of h2g2, can create, out of nothingness, right here, right now.

Most of the English words that relate to mental, spiritual and emotional concepts can be modified in usually one of two ways.

Good, willing, kind (and many others not so positive in nature) can be modified by adding -ness to create goodness, willingness and kindness, etc.

Others, such as simple, complex, eccentric (and many others not so mathematical in nature) are modified with an -ity to create simplicity, complexity, and eccentricity.

My problem is that there seems to be no similar form for logic. We can't say logicity or even logicness. This is not logical.

The original Greek 'logos' no longer has any relavence to the meaning we would intend today. So, is there an an 'English' word that makes a noun, that makes a name, for the mental, spiritual and emotional qualities and activities of logic? And unless someone can come up with a damned good reason for adopting 'logos' I think we ought to think of a better one.

~jwf~

POD - Logicality

There's a productive affix for making nouns from adjectives, and another for making adjectives from nouns. So logic -> logical -> logicalness. It's ugly, so let's use logocity, just to make it sound Egnlish. Yes, I know that "logos" = "word" rather than "reason" or "logic", but why not borrow something with the wrong meaning? It's much funner that way.

Making words is so much fun, why not make a hobby of it?

The brand new
Gareis

A very hearty welcome to the brand new Gareis. Have some British English own brew

jwf confused me a bit because he was comparing adjectives with nouns.

He said we can make nouns from (the adjectives) good, willing, kind, complex, etc., but not from the (noun) logic.

However, I support the campaign and am willing to spread the word when it's been democratically decided upon.

Logicity (oh that lovely shift of emphasis which confuses foreigners so) appeals to me best so far.

Logicity - 1
Locicalness - 0

Newsuggestion - totally illogical: logicocity! (Lodgi-ko-city - emphasis on the "ko")

I'm confused too! Is the word you are trying to make up just another word for locicality (which is an existing word) or is it some other concept?

Sorry, a typo in that last post. Here it is again.

I'm confused too! Is the word you are trying to make up just another word for logicality (which is an existing word) or is it some other concept?

Seems our keyboards both have the same complaint.. mixing "g"s and "c"s.

>> ...another word for logicality (which is an existing word) or is it some other concept? <<

'Logicality'? Yuck. If that really is a word it is one I have successfully avoided. But yes I guess it is supposed to mean what I meant. And since the odds are slim that I might ever need to use such a word, except perhaps to lament the lack of 'it' (logicality) in the world today, perhaps I have been overly ambitious in suggesting we 'needed' 'it'.
Not having a word (other than logicality) to put a name to the mental, spiritual and emotional qualities and actions of logic is probably the least of our worries. (He said with waning logicality.)

A big welcome to Gareis. Nice 'productive affixes' you've got there, mate!
peace
~jwf~

I'm not sure I've ever used 'logicality' (before now), but I suspect I have probably used 'illogicality', though that may be partially down to my critical nature.

Are you related to Dr Spock?

JWF: <>

Thanks. All I need to know about linguistics, I got from the conlang list.

So, what is usually discussed here? How to change English, or how it really is, or what an odd language it is, or why everyone should speak it? I hope there are no pronunciation threads; those are monstrous because everyone does it differently, and it would appear that you don't use SAMPA or any other sort of phonetic notation.

The objects of discussion vary somewhat.
Some start off as technical issues of grammar (which I avoid since I have no formal knowledge, and tend to work on what sounds most correct to my mind's ear), while (whilst?) others begin as more general-interest questions on word origins or other topics, but discussions do wander and become more or less technical over time (and depending on the researchers involved).


Teasswill, would that be *Dr* Spock, the child psychologist, or *Mr* Spock the (half) Vulcan.?

Happy New Year

Teasswill's reference to the POD prompted me to consult my OUD - Illustrated (a 40-year-old, two volume car boot sized affair), which lists:

Logocracy 1804 [f. Gr. logos + CRACY.]
A community or system of government
in which words are the ruling powers.

Despite this threads lack of governmental style influence/power, the term seems somehow apt

six7s

Logicity is sounding better and better all the time!

~jwf~

Potholer, I should have said Mr Spock - perhaps it was thinking of the birth of new words that distracted me!