Editing Talk:1155: Kolmogorov Directions
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Arguably, the directions are ambiguous in text form. As you suggest, they could be validly parsed as "take every left that doesn't put you on a (prime-numbered highway) or (street named for a president)", or they could be understood as "take every left that doesn't put you on a prime-numbered (highway or street) named for a president. In the first parsing, the listener should avoid (prime-numbered highways) and (streets named for a president). In the latter, the listener should avoid (highways and streets) which are both prime-numbered and named for a president. The lack of an indefinite article between "or" and "street" leaves both options open. If the directions had been "take every left that doesn't put you on a prime-numbered highway or **a** street named for a president", the second parsing would not be correct. Fortunately, when spoken aloud, the intended parsing is clear by whether there is a short pause between "highway" and "or". [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.33|162.158.255.33]] 19:31, 22 January 2016 (UTC) | Arguably, the directions are ambiguous in text form. As you suggest, they could be validly parsed as "take every left that doesn't put you on a (prime-numbered highway) or (street named for a president)", or they could be understood as "take every left that doesn't put you on a prime-numbered (highway or street) named for a president. In the first parsing, the listener should avoid (prime-numbered highways) and (streets named for a president). In the latter, the listener should avoid (highways and streets) which are both prime-numbered and named for a president. The lack of an indefinite article between "or" and "street" leaves both options open. If the directions had been "take every left that doesn't put you on a prime-numbered highway or **a** street named for a president", the second parsing would not be correct. Fortunately, when spoken aloud, the intended parsing is clear by whether there is a short pause between "highway" and "or". [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.33|162.158.255.33]] 19:31, 22 January 2016 (UTC) | ||
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