Another I like is contractions. If say “can not” but it sounds like “can’t”, how many words is that?
I might say that “not” does not have any semantic meaning in isolation, as its only use is to negate the meaning of some other word, so perhaps “can not” and “can’t” are both just one word.
Perhaps such graphemes and phonemes aren’t actually words.
Another interesting question is whether words are truly a product of language (the natural skill) or writing (the synthetic technology). Did “words” exist before writing?
Another I like is contractions. If say “can not” but it sounds like “can’t”, how many words is that?
I might say that “not” does not have any semantic meaning in isolation, as its only use is to negate the meaning of some other word, so perhaps “can not” and “can’t” are both just one word.
Perhaps such graphemes and phonemes aren’t actually words.
Another interesting question is whether words are truly a product of language (the natural skill) or writing (the synthetic technology). Did “words” exist before writing?