OT: is this real?

DavidG · #1 December 24th, 2003, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Imperator Fyron:
What aspects of being a word do they not qualify for? They are properly constructed strings of letters that have a real, functional meaning.

"a word is a unit of speech or writing that symbolizes or communicates a meaning. "

I don't think these 'words' have ever been used in speech or writing to communicate a meaning. But hey I could be wrong. There might actually be someone in the world who could say one of those words and use it in speech. And heck maybe somone could listen to it and get the meaning of it.

[ December 24, 2003, 16:44: Message edited by: DavidG ]

Fyron · #2 December 24th, 2003, 06:45 PM

Those long words have been used in written form before. Look at the website.

And they most assuredly symbolize a meaning. There is no way you can dispute that part, at least.

Geckomlis · #3 December 24th, 2003, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Imperator Fyron:
What aspects of being a word do they not qualify for? They are properly constructed strings of letters that have a real, functional meaning.

word
meaningful unit of language sounds: a meaningful sound or combination of sounds that is a unit of language or its representation in a text.

Fyron · #4 December 24th, 2003, 06:55 PM

Which again is what those words are. They are quite meaningful units of language sounds.

Fyron · #5 December 24th, 2003, 06:57 PM

Would you consider "tetrachloride" a word?

narf poit chez BOOM · #6 December 24th, 2003, 10:07 PM

Quote:

"a word is a unit of speech or writing that symbolizes or communicates a meaning. "

it doesn't say 'that has been used to'. so what i posted is a word.

now, if you limited the arguement to words in common usage...

DavidG · #7 December 26th, 2003, 04:22 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by narf poit chez BOOM:

quote:

"a word is a unit of speech or writing that symbolizes or communicates a meaning. "

it doesn't say 'that has been used to'. so what i posted is a word.

I dispute the fact that these words 'communicate a meaning' You think a single person in the world can read or hear those words and get the specific meaning from them? and before anyone mentions it I think it is pretty clear that 'communicate a meaning' means to another human being. (else you could write the word out in binary and call it a long word)

intersting side note. The Guiness people also have a record for the longest 'real' word. (thus of course implying that they don't think DNA is a real word)