Synonimity

Uriel   Thu May 31, 2007 2:47 am GMT
<<<They don't sound synonymous to me, either. >

Isn't it just a difference in viewpoint regarding the usefulness of a grammar? One sentence presents a "positive" view" and the other a somewhat "negative" view.

Don't both mean:

"A grammar can provide one with the basic principles of a language that will allow one to communicate at a rudimentary level." >>

Well, I have a tendency to sound short and flippant, but I actually did stop and think about that before I answered, Bridget. Especially since I could tell that that was the logical route that M56 had taken with his answer. But my answer is still no, because simply arriving at the same place does not make two journeys identical, if you'll pardon the metaphor. I think the others have it right when they say that there are some major semantic differences between the two sentences that render them not strictly synonymous at all, even if their major parts seem to break down along the same lines.