Path: csiph.com!v102.xanadu-bbs.net!xanadu-bbs.net!feeder.erje.net!us.feeder.erje.net!newsfeed.fsmpi.rwth-aachen.de!feeds.phibee-telecom.net!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed2a.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!newsgate.cistron.nl!newsgate.news.xs4all.nl!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.010 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.98; '*S*': 0.00; 'english.': 0.04; 'mrab': 0.05; 'language,': 0.12; 'itself.': 0.14; 'language.': 0.14; 'from:addr:mrabarnett.plus.com': 0.16; 'from:addr:python': 0.16; 'from:name:mrab': 0.16; 'message-id:@mrabarnett.plus.com': 0.16; 'received:192.168.1.4': 0.16; 'received:84.93': 0.16; 'received:84.93.230': 0.16; ':-)': 0.16; 'language': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.18; 'programming': 0.22; 'header:User-Agent:1': 0.23; 'script': 0.25; 'header:In-Reply-To:1': 0.27; "d'aprano": 0.31; 'steven': 0.31; 'problem': 0.35; 'received:84': 0.35; 'but': 0.35; 'too': 0.37; 'window': 0.38; 'to:addr:python-list': 0.38; 'little': 0.38; 'expect': 0.39; 'bad': 0.39; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.39; 'refer': 0.63; 'more': 0.64; 'mar': 0.68; 'natural': 0.68; 'intelligent': 0.74; 'subject:self': 0.84 X-CM-Score: 0.00 X-CNFS-Analysis: v=2.1 cv=JLW1sq6b c=1 sm=1 tr=0 a=0nF1XD0wxitMEM03M9B4ZQ==:117 a=0nF1XD0wxitMEM03M9B4ZQ==:17 a=0Bzu9jTXAAAA:8 a=sASEtNAQL0YA:10 a=ihvODaAuJD4A:10 a=IkcTkHD0fZMA:10 a=EBOSESyhAAAA:8 a=gecvBiwxn2zPv9TuJxAA:9 a=QEXdDO2ut3YA:10 X-AUTH: mrabarnett:2500 Date: Tue, 04 Mar 2014 17:10:10 +0000 From: MRAB User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.3; WOW64; rv:24.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/24.3.0 MIME-Version: 1.0 To: python-list@python.org Subject: Re: Origin of 'self' References: <7edah9989mdjb9mrnrsh5067np0ihv1jml@4ax.com> <5315e2b9$0$29985$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> In-Reply-To: <5315e2b9$0$29985$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.15 Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Message-ID: Lines: 17 NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6 X-Trace: 1393953013 news.xs4all.nl 2929 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:52744 X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:67707 On 2014-03-04 14:27, Steven D'Aprano wrote: > On Tue, 04 Mar 2014 12:47:09 +0000, MRAB wrote: > >> In AppleScript a script can refer to the title of a window as >> "title of window" or "window's title", and it can refer to the >> title of its own window as "title of window of me" or "me's >> window's title". Consistent, yes, but bad English. >> >> That's why I prefer a programming language not to be too much like >> a natural language. :-) > > But the problem with that is not that it is too much like a natural > language, but too little like a natural language. > The more it's like a natural language, the more intelligent you expect it to be, and the more you expect it to be able to work out ambiguities for itself.