Does AI Truly Understand?
Does AI truly understand? I once heard a story about a man who visited Siberia in November and discovered the true meaning of the Russian word "гололедица" (gololéditsa) — ice-crusted ground.…
Why Does AI Struggle With Nuance?
Why does AI struggle with nuance? I was in the process of translating a book from Russian into English when the client wrote and said that he had run my…
Is Language a Means of Communication or Portal into Being?
Is language a means of communication? A friend recently used the word “flimsy” in a somewhat unusual context, and I asked, “What do you mean by flimsy?” He replied, “Well, the word means…
What is the True Definition of Poetry?
What is the true definition of poetry? In Greek, the word “poiesis” from which we get “poetry” means “making.” In my mind’s eye, I can picture an ancient Greek working in his…
What is Language in C.S. Lewis’s That Hideous Strength?
What is language? Have you ever met Language herself? I bet you have. This is how C.S. Lewis described the descent of Mercury in That Hideous Strength: “This was Language herself,…
Why Was Tolkien So Good At Writing?
Why was Tolkien so good at writing? Linguistics and philology are not the same. There is one essential difference between them that is often overlooked. I found this statement online,…