I agree with everything you say, as long as one assumption holds: the language(s) being used are static, in the domain of the topic being discussed. If the only available method to express 1x20 vs 20x1 is colloquial English or arcane math, then the method you describe seems to be ideal.
On the other paw, I’ve already gotten good use out of taking an existing language structure (the subset of Lojban sometimes called Cniglic, which can be bolted-on to English), and extending it for my own purpose. Since it worked so well before, I’m willing to try it again, if the next-best option is what you describe.
Or, looking at it another way, I’m drawing on the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, and am more interested in improving language as a tool of thought rather than a tool of communication.
I agree with everything you say, as long as one assumption holds: the language(s) being used are static, in the domain of the topic being discussed. If the only available method to express 1x20 vs 20x1 is colloquial English or arcane math, then the method you describe seems to be ideal.
On the other paw, I’ve already gotten good use out of taking an existing language structure (the subset of Lojban sometimes called Cniglic, which can be bolted-on to English), and extending it for my own purpose. Since it worked so well before, I’m willing to try it again, if the next-best option is what you describe.
Or, looking at it another way, I’m drawing on the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, and am more interested in improving language as a tool of thought rather than a tool of communication.