[ExI] Linguistic shifts

[Mike Dougherty]

On Tue, Dec 21, 2010 at 11:49 AM, spike <spike66 at att.net> wrote:
> So we need to think of adapting language in such a way that automated
> translation effectively translates it.  A good technical paper is already
> written that way: engineering terms are often universal, mathematical
> equations are exactly universal.  So we start by eliminating figures of
> speech specific to our own cultures, and migrate towards words that have
> more universal and very specific meanings.
>

Newspeak?  Difficult to do either quickly or completely.  These shifts
will still be subject to a propagation lag so before a population has
completely adopted the forced-pattern those early adopters have
already shifted it and started a new wave.  You see this happen with
internet memes. (need help? http://knowyourmeme.com/)

I think it's more likely that we'll continue to evolve local
niche-languages even all the way back to tribal dialects (or the new
tribe: the cube-dwelling coworkers with whom you spend most of your
day OR the regulars in your social media games)   We will likely still
be able to communicate with the general population because our access
to the internet will be through increasingly context-aware
abstractions.  Software abstractions (what used to be "AI"?) will
translate our intent into a neutral language transparently.  Anyone
reading a message will probably do so through another translation into
their own local idioms.  If my agent needs more context to frame your
ideas, it should contact your agent and build the requisite context
transparently.

I predict these "apps" will become capable enough to on-the-fly
rewrite just about everything we consume.  Those rose-colored glasses
will take on any hue you like but what color you like may be a
function of what color you're currently using.