2D Word And 2D Sentences

davidelkins

davidelkins

Registered Senior Member
2D Sentence: Make a grid of a 10x10 arrangement of words. There are ten sentences across in rows and ten sentences down in columns. The overall grid can be seen as a meta-sentence.

A 3D sentence can also be constructed. It would be the same except for the additional axis.

2D Word: Make a grid of a 10x10 arrangement of letters of the alphabet. The entire grid is a singular word. There is reverse directional and multi-directional pronunciation capacity.

A 3D word can also be constructed. It would be the same except for the additional axis.

Author: David Elkins
 
The problem with 2D (or 3D) sentances is, that unlike 1D sentences, there is no clear idea of the beginning and the end. 1D allows two directions, that's tricky enough already.

Since we can wrap 1D lines to make good use of a 2D writing area (and pile those, to make a 3D block, like a book), there is no need to complicate things further. I see no benefits in 2D or 3D sentances. Books, as 3D structures, filled with 1D text, are quite good.
 
What if a cell is designated for start and/or a cell designated for end? There are many avenues here. The possibilities are limitless and the notion of 2D sentences should not be dismissed briefly. DE
 
So are you talking about creating meaningful, structured sentences that convey information, or a block of words grouped together just because?

Can you give any examples of these 2D sentences that convey meaningful information more efficiently than a couple of 1D sentences could?
 
The idea is to compose meaningful sentences and also to group then to together just to find out what happens. I will improvise one right now.

unlock_____the mirror of_____the previous action

lock_______turn the 'the'_____and turn the turn

not lock____retain the same____make equivalent the retain

This is just spontaneous improvisation, but I hope you like it. DE
 
Which part of that gibberish was supposed to be a meaningful sentence?
 
Messy Essay

Here be a really awesome essay. First start by tranforming all my 'the's to 'a's at any point in the essay. Reverse all the verbs to nouns of the aformentioned writing. Add the word 'tick' three times at any point in this prose. Put periods where they don't belong. I want this essay to be messy. Add two phantom sentences in wherever you wish. Change that last period to a comma. Yes the one just a sentence before. Throw that period two sentences ahead. Now change all the 't's' in each word to 's' and then back to 't'. Turn every word to 'z' and leave it there for a moment. Insert a good argument here. Add some sentences at the beginning of this essay. Add some to the end. Now try adding a prefix to every single word. Finally, add a 'every' five words in this essay. Now what have I said? Have I made any good arguments?

Author: David Elkins
 
Ursula Le Guin has an interesting story in her collection "Changing Planes" in which she describes or considers such a language - here's a link to the text of the particular story, although it's obviously pirated and poorly edited and hard to read etc: http://www.en8848.com.cn/fiction/Fiction/Fantasy/2007-06-04/56189_18.html

The entire collection, as a book in a decent font and printing with all the other stories, is a good read - both profound and charming.
 
davidelkins said:
The idea is to compose meaningful sentences and also to group then to together just to find out what happens. I will improvise one right now.

unlock_____the mirror of_____the previous action

lock_______turn the 'the'_____and turn the turn

not lock____retain the same____make equivalent the retain

This is just spontaneous improvisation, but I hope you like it. DE
Click to expand...
This doesn't make any sense at all. You may have an interesting idea buried somewhere in this pile of words, but you're not very good at explaining yourself.

Please put more effort into your explanations, so we can understand what you're trying to do.

If you can't improve the quality of your writing to a level that actually makes sense, I'll have no choice but to lock this thread.

Fraggle Rocker
Moderator, Linguistics
 
Frome the story referred above:
Le Guin said:
Texts written in Nna Mmoy are not linear, either horizontally or vertically, but radial, budding out in all directions, like tree branches or growing crystals, from a first or central word which, once the text is complete, may well be neither the center nor the beginning of the statement. Literary texts carry this polydirectional complexity to such an extreme that they resemble mazes, roses, artichokes, sunflowers, fractal patterns.
Click to expand...

This may illustrate the problem faced by anyone trying to compose 2D written works in English. The Nna Mmoy language in the story is written somewhat as Chinese is, each of thousands of "words" or "syllables" with its own glyph, only with no compass direction of implication - the meaning is directed radially, and something like that would be necessary for a 2D written language. In English even the individual words are read - letter by letter - linearly left to right, in collection up to down. That's difficult, highly constrained, working material.

i.e.:
gr
ub

is not going to be read by a literate stranger as "burg", and not going to be read by an illiterate stranger at all.
 
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