LISP

Posted by Lotg (OZ) on September 07, 2004

In Reply to: LISP posted by Smokey Stover on September 07, 2004

: : : : Who invented the word 'lisp'? Is it named after someone? It better be, otherwise the person who invented was playing a very cruel joke. Trust me - that's a difficult word to say, if you are in fact someone with that very problem.

: : : lisp the speech problem; and then there was LISP the computer programming language. In the grand days of Artificial Intelligence (the 80s) the hot programmers were the ones who could program in this obscure object oriented language. The AI guys were going to do away with all us normal blokes, and I'm generally pleased that nothing much has come of it. Seems to me that good old natural intelligence is much to be preferred.

: : The AI guys haven't vanished completely. But the concept that computers and software would do away with humans has been expounded for quite some time, but so far (touch wood), I'm pleased to say that it hasn't happened yet.

: : Meanwhile, I still want to know what heartless fiend created a word to describe something that the sufferers can't easily say.

: The word lisp (in some form) has been with us as long as we have had English--since the word is cognate with its fellows in other Germanic languages. It has been found inwriting, according to the OED, as early as ca. 1100. As for the cruelty of using a hard-to-say word to describe the speech problems of those who find it hard to say words, that's pretty much the point, isn't it? SS

Ummm... not sure about your logic SS (or should that be 'th th'). Just kidding, my lisp isn't that bad. That is, I can't see the point of a word that can't be pronounced by those who have to use it the most. Unless it was intended as a point of ridicule - which is quite possible. After all, historically, disabilities (even mild ones like this) weren't particularly tolerated. So - who knows???

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