Re: Evolution - was VMs: Inks and retouching

["Jeff" <jeff@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Gabriel Landini" <G.Landini@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <vms-list@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: 02 August 2004 16:28
Subject: Re: Evolution - was VMs: Inks and retouching


> On Monday 02 August 2004 13:05, John Grove wrote:
> > Thanks for the character counts. You reminded me of the one 'major'
> > problem I have with a natural language solution: lack of double letters
or
> > double syllables. They are far too rare in the VMS.
>
> Yes, they are not very frequent (except the suspected e, i). Here they
are:
>
> ee 5395
> ii 4769
> hh 84
> oo 76
> ll 34
> ss 31
> dd 25
> aa 5
> rr 2
> yy 3
> mm 1
> kk 1
> cc 1
>
> Note, that I do not think that the vms is written in a "natural language"
in
> the sense of it being a simple substitution (because of the low entropy),
yet
> there are a number of statistical properties that are shared with natural
> languages and so these have to be explained somehow.
>
> I am still puzzled by Cappelli's dictionary. I like the possibility of <y>
> being two different meanings, depending where they are in the word (as
noted
> in D'Imperio <y>- =con, -<y>= us). This, I guess, introduces a false sense
of
> redundancy (and helps to keep the entropy low?).
>

There isn't enough variety of pattern in the VMS to allow this. The rigid
structure precludes it, which is why it isn't solved yet.

> Another: I cannot see many problems with the word substitution based on a
> dictionary (one problem is word repetitions, I know). Note that this does
not
> require any word construction rules as long as the words correspondences
are
> unique and at the same time it allows the low entropy to be there.
>

Word repetition could, in the case of pairs, be one sentence ending with the
same word starting the next. Three word repeats could be emphasis or
versification. "Tyger, Tyger burning bright...." Or what about numbering?
daiin daiin daiin = 333 = take 333 paces north and dig for treasure. :-)

Jeff

> For an extreme case:
> AND = eeeee
> THE = eeeeb
> OF =  beee
> FOR = eeb
> etc.
>
> Of course, I have no evidence that this could be the case of the vms but
shows
> that it is possible for the ms not being low in information as originally
> suggested by Bennett. The problem may be (as you are also aware) only the
> representation (but this is not new, of course).
>
> Cheers,
>
> Gabriel


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