Lincos (artificial language)

• Constructed language plan language

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Art ( other constructed languages)

Mis (not coded)

Lincos ( abbreviation for the Latin phrase " lingua cosmica " ) is a constructed language in 1960 by the mathematician Hans Freudenthal in his book Lincos: was developed Design of a Language for Cosmic Intercourse.

Freudenthal's aim was to create a language that is of any intelligent beings, and extraterrestrial life forms, can be understood, although there is no direct communication via images or with a mutually recognized third language is possible.

Freudenthal attacked while on ideas by Lancelot Hogben, which describes a system with Astraglossa 1953, can be represented in the mathematical statements in the form of pulses.

Structure

The dictionary of Lincos that should be at the beginning of a communication, initially contains some very simple pattern to " terms" for the natural numbers and simple arithmetic operations (such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division ) present.

After Friends valley plans is intended to be first started with simple words. Reported figures are represented by a simple signal, such as an X, . By means of additional signals, such as, among others, O, step by step simple mathematical statements can be made.

If the transmitted message while sufficiently large and sufficiently simple, it can be concluded from the example about that here X One, O for equality, OO stands for the Small - OOO comparison and for the greater-than comparison.

The numbers are represented in unary system, comparison operators ( =, < ,>,! =) Can thereby be gradually generated as well. Obviously, the information density is unfavorable; easy to imagine, however, is to achieve a convention, to make the messages more compact. As usual in computer science, it lends itself to the binary system.

Building on these basic statements is easy to imagine that then truth values ​​and even logical statements are received.

In this encoding is obviously Ver (from Latin verum) to be true, Fal (from Latin falsum ) wrong, A logical AND, logical OR for AA.

These mathematical concepts are here illustrated by a number of examples. The following concepts of variables, integers and fractions, which are reminiscent of the arithmetic of school mathematics. Finally quantity terms, the quantities of natural, whole, real and complex numbers ( Num, Int, Rea, Com ) and the primes ( Pri ) are introduced, presented and some constants ( e, i, π ) is defined.

In this encoding, the new symbol P stands obviously for computing rules (the P stands for addition, subtraction, PP, PPP for multiplication, PPPP for division).

Then vocabulary for describing the time, ie the measurement of time periods, sent, so we can speak about current and future events.

In this example, DUR stands for a new symbol "Duration" ( SEC for " seconds " ) and returns the actual length of the radio signal is about in seconds. By means of simple messages can be transmitted concepts of time. Conceivable about three different events E1, E2, and E3, which are also sent in time in the transmission in succession.

On the ( unspecified here ) transmission with certain events E1, E2, E3

May, for example, follow the following code

Here are the symbols Ant (from Latin ante), Pst (from Latin post) and Fit (from Latin fit ) for the temporal relations "before", "after" and "between". Temporal concepts such as past and future can thereby also be clarified, such as the finiteness of life.

The greatest difficulty perhaps prepare the complex expressions in terms of behavior and conversation between individuals. Presented here are two actors talking to each other, quote to check things and promise something. In games between two players are also game theory (eg in the game with the Matching Pennies ) human behaviors such as hostility, explained the concept of collaboration and cooperation in the game between three players. Finally, linguistic expressions for mass, space and motion are defined. Are described, inter alia, human nature and the solar system.

A second book with additional considerations (such as the earth, the life and future behavior ) was planned, but was not completed.

Use and Discussion

Received in the movie Contact and decrypt SETI astronomers extraterrestrial messages that are reminiscent in structure to Lincos.

In 1974 as part of the Arecibo message, the transmission of a message, which is based on the concepts of Lincos. The first actual transmission in Lincos was in 1999 in the mission "Call Messenger I".

Regardless of the success of such attempts to communicate the consideration of the phenomenon of language with purely mathematical means is very interesting and raises some questions. In this connection reference is made to the Sapir -Whorf hypothesis, which can appear unlikely with being with other worlds of experience the real possibilities of communication. Uncertainty appears above all, whether the other person the (cultural ) idea behind the mathematical statement is understood and how many examples to understand the statements are necessary.

Complex example

An example of Lincos from the third chapter of Freudenthal's book shows how two individuals face each other questions.

In this case, it is time (from Latin male) for " bad," Ben (from Latin bene ) for " good", Tan (from Latin tamen ) for " but " Inq (from Latin inquit ) say for ", ask ". Ha, Hb, Hc are representative of the amount Hom (from Latin homo), so human.

Moreover, even indirect questions about about speaker are possible.

The actual coding was modified for ease of readability.