Years, Xurno, burgers


Posted by Irgend Jemand on 20:43 6/3/02

In reply to: (none)

Ok, after being locked out of here for a month thanks to a series of events that have convinced me that, equal what you say, Mark, computers will definetely never be intelligent:), I'm back. Therefore, if you don't mind, I've got some comments on topics that have already been discussed a while ago.

For instance, there's this Almean year/Earth year thing. It seems to me that the amounts of time for the different studies in the Verdurian education system, as well as the biographical data on famous Almeans, were calculated for people who grow older in Almean years as fast as humans grow older in Earth years. Is that true?

As for this idea that some of the folks here could work out some details on some minor parts of Almea- I would really like to work out details on Xurno, but I guess that a) you've already got a lot of stuff on it that isn't published yet (even beside the stuff that you've send me) and b) Chris might want to do that, to, so we would have to ask him first.

Also, after I've re-read your list of modern Verdurian words, I must protest against your taking of the Verdurian word for "hamburger" from Swedish, instead of deriving it from the name of the city where I was born in Verdurian as well as in English. Ah, nevermind.

Irgend


Mark responds:

Welcome back, Irgend!

1. The Almean year is about 6% shorter than ours; but years are still a convenient unit for both animals and humans. E.g. many animal species reach maturity in about a year. I'd assume evolution selects for this, since it's useful if reproductive cycles coincide (and parenting skills help not only one's own but others' offspring).

School calendars would also be adapted to whole numbers of years, and I don't think Almean children learn appreciably less in their slightly shorter school year.

2. Yes, better wait for all that to be sorted through first. I forget if I mentioned that the Axunashin/Xurnásh/Teôshi grammar is over 100 pages by now... and the lexicons are still frustratingly slight.

3. Heh! Well, it does come from the name of your town... though I should really check with my Swedish friends whether the first r is pronounced. I think Swedish r tends to get lost before a stop.


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