Semicolons: mostly unnecessary?

[Walter Bright]

Max Samukha wrote:
> On Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:21:25 +0200, bambo <ba at m.bo> wrote:
> 
>> Walter Bright schrieb:
>>> Adam D. Ruppe wrote:
>>>
>>> mostcertainly
>>> doesNOTmeanalanguageisnecessarilyeasiertoparseSymbolsgiveus
>>> aparsinganchorperiodsinasentencearentstrictlynecessarywecould
>>> putoneperlineorjustfigureoutwheretheybelongbyparsingthecontext
>>> Butthatsfairlyobviouslymuchharderthanusingperiodstofollowwhere
>>> youareSemicolonsarethesamething
>>>
>>> (Fixed that for you!)
>> Walter, what a remarkable proove the semicolon helps us all a lot!
>> You are sooooo BRIGHT! You are so creative and intelligent!
>>
>> I LOVE YOU!
> 
> This is one of Walter's proofs that don't prove anything. Spaces
> between words are *not redundant*.

Armed with a dictionary, there's really only one parse of the above text 
that works. Consider also that when text is encrypted using pre-computer 
methods, the first thing done is all spaces are removed and it is put in 
monocase (because that makes it harder for cryptanalysis). Human 
decryptors put them back in.

Consider the fragment:

     Ifthepointisntplainobviousfromtheabovefewersymbols

Where else could the spaces possibly go?