DCML digest, Vol 1 #663 - 14 msgs

[Olivier]

(3rd time I forget to change the addressee after
hitting "Reply", sorry...)


Olaf:

 * * * * * Xanadu Story Spoiler * * * * *

> >> Can someone with a good mark in English please tell me the difference
on
> the
> >> two sentences "Tralla La turns out to be Xanadu" and "Xanadu turns out
to
> be
> >> Tralla La"?
> >> After all, the main subject of the sentence is "Tralla La and Xanadu
> turns
> >> out to be the same place". So the two sentences does actually MEAN the
> same
> >> thing. Am I wrong? If not, why are we arguing about such a silly thing?
> >> (well, we have argued about sillier things before anyway...)

A rather trivial "argument", indeed, but which will help us think of
something lighter for a few seconds.

As regards the result and overall meaning, both sentences
mean the same, indeed:        T=X   or   X=T    .
The argument (too strong a word, but never mind) was
concerned with the logical way to put it.

"A turns out to be B" here implies that you know B
(so you can identify it later);
then you find that A is the same as B.
ex: (B) you know that Donald has three nephews
     (A) you know HDL
     you find out that HDL *are* Donald's nephews

 The thing is that I wrote "T turns out to be X"
by considering that they discovered that T (which they knew)
was in fact X (which they have known for a longer time),
which I explained in my reply to Kriton.

But Kriton was right, as I admitted in my second post.
I hadn't thought of  the way they discover it in the story
in my first answer.
It's not like they're staying in T and suddenly realize or find out
that T is in fact X (which my phrasing meant):
in the story, they are looking for X, and when they get there,
"X turns out to be T" (Kriton's correction).


Olivier