Nicholas Andresen

You're never stuck, you can always grab the best-fitting piece from each language and move on.

It's just less bueno for everyone else.

That's Thinkish.

The model seems to grab whichever token fits best, optimizing for its own convenience.

The problem is that we're the outsiders now.

So how much stranger can Thinkish get?

To get a sense of that, let me tell you about King Alfred the Great.

In 891 AD, King Alfred the Great completed his translation of the Consolation of Philosophy, one of the last great philosophical works of antiquity, written in Latin by Boethius, a Roman senator, while awaiting execution.

Here's one sentence.

Quote.

This is English.

Old English, but English, connected to what you're reading right now by an unbroken chain of comprehension stretching back over a thousand years.

Watch the chain.

In 1330, Chaucer's translation read, Blissful is at man at may seen ye clear welly of good.

In 1556, Colville gave us, Happy or blessed is he that may see the shining fountain, or well of good.

By 1973, Watts wrote, Happy is the man who may see the clear fountain of good.

Every person in this thousand-year chain understood their parents and children.

Yet we cannot understand Alfred, and Alfred would not understand us.

Why?

Languages change for many reasons.