Title: Astrolinguistics: design of a linguistic system for interstellar communication based on logic /
Authors: Ollongren, Alexander.
Publisher: Springer ;
Year: 2013
Subjects: Lincos (Artificial language); Life on other planets
Abstract: In linguistics, one of the main areas of modern research involves the capabilities and possibilities of there being a "lingua cosmica," a LINCOS, a universal language that could be used to communicate with non-human intelligences. This book, touches on the area of the development and use of a "lingua universalis" for interstellar communication, but it also presents concepts that cover a broad area of linguistics. Chomsky's paradigm on universal properties of natural languages, for a long time a leading general theory of natural languages, includes the strong assumption that humans are born with some kind of universals stored in their brains. Are there universals of this kind of language used by intelligent beings and societies elsewhere in the universe? We do not know whether such languages exist. It seems to be impossible to determine, simply because the universe is too large for an exhaustive search. Even verification will be hard to obtain, without quite a bit of luck. This book uses astrolinguistic principles in message construction and is helpful in clarifying and giving perspective to discussions on existential questions such as these.
Contents: Types and declarations -- Functions and induction -- Hypotheses -- Higher orders and inductive structures -- Simple facts -- Compounds -- Aristotelian theatre -- Wittgenstien's theatre -- Logic contents of texts -- An astrolinguistic experiment -- Aspects of truth -- Human altruism -- Self-interpretation -- Pictorial representations -- Representation of music -- Signature of LINCOS -- Representing processes -- Cooperating sequential processes -- Hamlet in LINCOS -- Basics -- Relativistic particle motion -- Two-body motion -- Certain existence -- The uncertain alien -- Declaration of principles concerning the conduct of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence -- Preliminaries -- History -- A gentle introduction to lambda and types -- Postscription -- Summary in Russian -- Curriculum vitae of Alexander Ollongren (*1928, Sumatra).