A quick note about lunch today:

Extensive talking but not much time to blog. So, here's a summary

Did Karl Marx exists or was he an Idealogical construct? This was a one liner (not original read a biography of Philip K Dick), that led neatly on to did Shakespeare exist? The internet is alive with this one. The runners (expect highbrow mini-poll soon) are Francis Bacon, the Earl of Essex, Christopher Marlowe, the Earl of Derby, the Earl of Rutland, the Earl of Oxford, and Queen Elizabeth I. Here's tuppence, feel free to add it.

The conversation progressed probably via non-sequitur to Michael Ironside and Kurtwood Smith, and who starred in what action movie. I foolishly suggested Kurtwood Smith for Total Recall and in fact was dead wrong. That's right! it was Michael Ironside, and according to his number one fan it's his favorite movie. Conversation moved on to "V" probably due to a subliminal Michael Ironside reference, who was a star. The other guy in V? Not anyone with a publicity still on IMDB.....

The last (well 2nd last) thing discussed was Chinese and the fact that English speaking kids at 4 have fluency, which Chinese kids have to wait until they are 7. Reasons could include the fact the chinese is essentially phonemic, i.e each syllable receives a particular tone, which is as characteristic as the height of the vowels in it, and can distinguish words.

So if you are going to create your own language, especially off an oriental modal keep the following in mind:

Phonological constraints
Each language has combinations of sounds that are considered difficult, forbidden, or impossible. These are called phonological constraints, and are the moulds into which any word has to be made to fit for the sake of coherence and "familiarity". The rules of syllable- and word-formation are part of what is called phonotactics (i. e. which sounds can come in contact with other given sounds).

English is quite free of phonological constraints. Hence the enormous quantity of foreign words it has been able to absorb, like garage, sombrero, mosquito, ersatz, schmuck... Some languages do not resist such invasions.

The last thing talked about? A constant. And there is no point discussing constants...