Lincos (language)
Encyclopedia
Lincos is an artificial language first described in 1960 by Dr. Hans Freudenthal
in his book Lincos: Design of a Language for Cosmic Intercourse, Part 1. It is a language designed to be understandable by any possible intelligent extraterrestrial life
form, for use in interstellar radio
transmissions. Freudenthal considered that such a language should be easily understood by beings not acquainted with any Earthling
syntax or language. Lincos was designed to be capable of encapsulating "the whole bulk of our knowledge."
", intended to be transmitted first before any additional messages, begins with a simple pattern of pulses intended to establish the terminology for natural number
s and basic arithmetic
(addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) in base two
. The concepts of equality, comparison, variables and constants are also illustrated by a series of examples, and then finally propositional logic, set theory
and first-order logic
. The next section of the Lincos dictionary establishes vocabulary for describing time
, introducing means for measuring durations, referring to moments in time, and talking about past and future events. The third section is perhaps the most complex, and attempts to convey the concepts and language necessary to describe behavior and conversation between individuals. It uses examples to introduce actors speaking to each other, asking questions, disapproving, quoting other people, knowing and wanting things, promising, and playing. Finally, the fourth section describes the concepts and language relating to mass
, space
, and motion
. This last section goes so far as to describe physical features of human
beings and of the Solar system
.
A second book was planned but never written that would have added four more sections to the dictionary: "Matter", "Earth", "Life" and "Behavior 2". Other researchers have since extended the language somewhat on their own (see, for example, CosmicOS
).
No actual transmissions have been made using Lincos; it remains largely a theoretical exercise in Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence
.
Note the difference between "good" and "bad" as compared to "true" and "false"; 10/4 is a true answer to the question, so Ver ("true") would be a valid response, but since it wasn't reduced to lowest terms, it wasn't what Hb wanted and so he responded Mal ("bad") instead.
Another example, showing meta-conversation:
astronomers receive a radio
transmission from space that has a Lincos-like dictionary embedded in the message.
Hans Freudenthal
Hans Freudenthal was a Dutch mathematician. He made substantial contributions to algebraic topology and also took an interest in literature, philosophy, history and mathematics education....
in his book Lincos: Design of a Language for Cosmic Intercourse, Part 1. It is a language designed to be understandable by any possible intelligent extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
form, for use in interstellar radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
transmissions. Freudenthal considered that such a language should be easily understood by beings not acquainted with any Earthling
Earthling
Earthling is a term commonly used in science fiction to identify humans as opposed to extraterrestrials. The literary effect aimed for is a distancing effect, inviting the readers to contemplate their own species as it might be seen from an external point of view...
syntax or language. Lincos was designed to be capable of encapsulating "the whole bulk of our knowledge."
Concepts and range
The Lincos "dictionaryDictionary
A dictionary is a collection of words in one or more specific languages, often listed alphabetically, with usage information, definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon...
", intended to be transmitted first before any additional messages, begins with a simple pattern of pulses intended to establish the terminology for natural number
Natural number
In mathematics, the natural numbers are the ordinary whole numbers used for counting and ordering . These purposes are related to the linguistic notions of cardinal and ordinal numbers, respectively...
s and basic arithmetic
Arithmetic
Arithmetic or arithmetics is the oldest and most elementary branch of mathematics, used by almost everyone, for tasks ranging from simple day-to-day counting to advanced science and business calculations. It involves the study of quantity, especially as the result of combining numbers...
(addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) in base two
Binary numeral system
The binary numeral system, or base-2 number system, represents numeric values using two symbols, 0 and 1. More specifically, the usual base-2 system is a positional notation with a radix of 2...
. The concepts of equality, comparison, variables and constants are also illustrated by a series of examples, and then finally propositional logic, set theory
Set theory
Set theory is the branch of mathematics that studies sets, which are collections of objects. Although any type of object can be collected into a set, set theory is applied most often to objects that are relevant to mathematics...
and first-order logic
First-order logic
First-order logic is a formal logical system used in mathematics, philosophy, linguistics, and computer science. It goes by many names, including: first-order predicate calculus, the lower predicate calculus, quantification theory, and predicate logic...
. The next section of the Lincos dictionary establishes vocabulary for describing time
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
, introducing means for measuring durations, referring to moments in time, and talking about past and future events. The third section is perhaps the most complex, and attempts to convey the concepts and language necessary to describe behavior and conversation between individuals. It uses examples to introduce actors speaking to each other, asking questions, disapproving, quoting other people, knowing and wanting things, promising, and playing. Finally, the fourth section describes the concepts and language relating to mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
, space
Space
Space is the boundless, three-dimensional extent in which objects and events occur and have relative position and direction. Physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless four-dimensional continuum...
, and motion
Motion (physics)
In physics, motion is a change in position of an object with respect to time. Change in action is the result of an unbalanced force. Motion is typically described in terms of velocity, acceleration, displacement and time . An object's velocity cannot change unless it is acted upon by a force, as...
. This last section goes so far as to describe physical features of human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
beings and of the Solar system
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
.
A second book was planned but never written that would have added four more sections to the dictionary: "Matter", "Earth", "Life" and "Behavior 2". Other researchers have since extended the language somewhat on their own (see, for example, CosmicOS
CosmicOS
CosmicOS is a self-contained message designed to be understood primarily by treating it as a computer program and executing it. It is inspired by Hans Freudenthal's Lincos and resembles the programming language Scheme in many ways....
).
No actual transmissions have been made using Lincos; it remains largely a theoretical exercise in Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Communication with extraterrestrial intelligence is a branch of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence that focuses on composing and deciphering messages that could theoretically be understood by another technological civilization. The best-known CETI experiment was the 1974 Arecibo message...
.
Examples
An example of Lincos from section 3 of Freudenthal's book, showing one individual asking another individual questions:| Lincos text | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ha Inq Hb ?x 2x=5 | Ha says to Hb: What is the x such that 2x=5? |
| Hb Inq Ha 5/2 | Hb says to Ha: 5/2. |
| Ha Inq Hb Ben | Ha says to Hb: Good. |
| Ha Inq Hb ?x 4x=10 | Ha says to Hb: What is the x such that 4x=10? |
| Hb Inq Ha 10/4 | Hb says to Ha: 10/4. |
| Ha Inq Hb Mal | Ha says to Hb: Bad. |
| Hb Inq Ha 1/4 | Hb says to Ha: 1/4. |
| Ha Inq Hb Mal | Ha says to Hb: Bad. |
| Hb Inq Ha 5/2 | Hb says to Ha: 5/2. |
| Ha Inq Hb Ben | Ha says to Hb: Good. |
Note the difference between "good" and "bad" as compared to "true" and "false"; 10/4 is a true answer to the question, so Ver ("true") would be a valid response, but since it wasn't reduced to lowest terms, it wasn't what Hb wanted and so he responded Mal ("bad") instead.
Another example, showing meta-conversation:
| Lincos text | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ha Inq Hb ?x 4x=10 | Ha says to Hb: What is the x such that 4x=10? |
| Hb Inq Hc ?y y Inq Hb ?x 4x=10 | Hb says to Hc: Who asked me for the x such that 4x=10? |
| Hc Inq Hb Ha | Hc says to Hb: Ha. |
Popular culture
In the motion picture Contact, SETISETI
The search for extraterrestrial intelligence is the collective name for a number of activities people undertake to search for intelligent extraterrestrial life. Some of the most well known projects are run by the SETI Institute. SETI projects use scientific methods to search for intelligent life...
astronomers receive a radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
transmission from space that has a Lincos-like dictionary embedded in the message.
External links
- http://www.brunobassi.it/scritti/lincos.html