Re: why the -s in English verbs?

In article <cf5a76e9-2818-4f13-a921-07e6affaad86@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
<ekkilu@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Feb 29, 6:36=A0am, LEE Sau Dan <dan...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
So, could you =A0explain how this device helps in =A0the following pair of=

sentences?

=A0 =A0 Time flies like an arrow.
=A0 =A0 Fruit flies like a banana.

Please re-read my message.

"Languages often work based on statistical significance. There are
bound to be exceptions, but as long as there is enough correlation,
that's all what's needed."

Do you know what statistical significance means?

Do you know what correlation means?

Similarly, I gave you a list of nouns, and I also told you verb/noun
confusion problem in Chinese is at around 10% level of English:
meaning not a problem in practice, at all. Yet you kept your cherry-
picking habit.

Finally,

"Languages are not mathematics. Language signals are subject
to noises, but a little bit of correlation here and a little bit of
correlation there help the reader/listener to parse and understand
the
message correctly. "

Statistical significance is a mathematically
precise term. Correlation has many meanings.
Statistical significance is at best loosely
related to practical significance.

If one applies a test of statistical significance
to works of the SAME author, and they do not have
to be too large, one is likely to reject the
hypothesis that they come from the same process.

The -s ending is not the only correlation available in English.

Both the -s ending in verb forms, originally -th,
and the -s ending in noun plurals, comes from the
Germanic roots of English.

--
This address is for information only. I do not claim that these views
are those of the Statistics Department or of Purdue University.
Herman Rubin, Department of Statistics, Purdue University
hrubin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Phone: (765)494-6054 FAX: (765)494-0558
.

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