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   Luna, but on a new instance (luna@pony.social)'s status on Saturday, 09-Dec-2023 02:49:59 JST Luna, but on a new instance

   Hey #linguistics folks — is there a word for, and if not can someone coin a word for, things whose functionality is dependent on their existence in the plural?
   Some examples:
   * Telephones — Alexander Graham Bell was initially disappointed with the apparent uselessness of his first telephone, until the Ghostbusters quote “Who you gonna call?” fell through a rift in time and he realized he needed to invent the second telephone too.
   * Train stations — Congratulations! You’ve built the world’s first train station. Where do the trains go?
   * LEGO(-alike) building blocks
   * Gears

   • GreenSkyOverMe (Monika) repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     Luna, but on a new instance (luna@pony.social)'s status on Saturday, 09-Dec-2023 02:50:14 JST Luna, but on a new instance

     in reply to

     • Obscuredavid
     • Martin Algesten

     multiple folks (@martin, @Cameleopard) have independently pitched "homodependent" and I think we're onto a winner there

   • Embed this notice
     Elio Campitelli (eliocamp@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 09-Dec-2023 02:50:24 JST Elio Campitelli

     in reply to

     @luna Some ideas: "Segmentary", "Interlocking", "self-insufficient"

   • Embed this notice
     GreenSkyOverMe (Monika) (greenskyoverme@ohai.social)'s status on Saturday, 09-Dec-2023 02:50:46 JST GreenSkyOverMe (Monika)

     in reply to

     • Obscuredavid
     • Martin Algesten

     @luna @martin @Cameleopard
     I am pleased with this solution