Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/11/28

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Subject: RE: [Leica] XXX of the YYY? WAS (something else) (fwd)
From: "Phong" <phong@doan-ltd.com>
Date: Fri, 28 Nov 2003 08:56:46 -0500

Hello Daniel,

> Turing machines are finite state machines

Technically they are not (they have infinite storage).
Ironically, it could be argued that "natural language" is
finite in that every word ever spoken by anyone since the
beginning of time is a finite number, and if you bound 
their existence in time (i.e., the species will cease 
to exist one day), natural language is finite, and therefore 
is a finite state machine.  :-) 

I agree with you though on the little impact Chomsky's
work has made in natural language, as opposed to formal
language.  I still of him as a genius; one with whom I
disagree on many things.

- - Phong


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Replies: Reply from Daniel Ridings <daniel.ridings@muspro.uio.no> (RE: [Leica] XXX of the YYY? WAS (something else) (fwd))