Re: Unicameral

From: Marion Gunn (mgunn@egt.ie)
Date: Sat Feb 01 1997 - 08:35:36 EST


At 00:31 -0800 97/02/01, unicode@Unicode.ORG wrote:
>Why do people use the word unicameral (which means of one room) for
>caseless?
>
>Jonathan

I rather like the expression 'unicameral', indicating one room or one box,
because it reflects the origins of the expressions 'upper-' & 'lower-case',
meaning the two separate boxes used in the days of cast lead typing.

It also avoids any possible confusion in tired minds scanning mountains of
e-mail in a hurry. My own first reaction to the idea of Georgian knowing
'no case' was -- yiy, how can such a thing be? -- simply because my
memories of my own linguistic discussions with three Georgian colleagues at
the Bled workshop is that they largely centred on questions of
_grammatical_ case, that is as in dative versus nominative, etc., which is
not at all the case in the current list debate!

Now, reading it over before hitting SEND, I notice that this msg of mine
employs three separate usages of the (Énglish) word 'case'.:-)
mg

--
Marion Gunn, Everson Gunn Teoranta
27 Páirc an Fhéithlinn; Baile an Bhóthair; Co. Átha Cliath; Éire
Gutháin:  +353 1 478-2597, +353 1 283-9396
http://www.indigo.ie/egt
15 Port Chaeimhghein Íochtarach; Baile Átha Cliath 2; Éire (Ireland)



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