From lojbab@xxxxxx.xxxx Fri Oct 1 01:32:07 1999 X-Digest-Num: 249 Message-ID: <44114.249.1375.959273825@eGroups.com> Date: Fri, 01 Oct 1999 04:32:07 -0400 From: "Bob LeChevalier (lojbab)" > de'i li 29/09/99 ti'u li 8:34 la xorxes cusku di'e > >The order of the time elements in dates and times should be consistent, all >increasing in size or all decreasing. Thus if a date is given as 29/09/99, >as in the above example, then the time after it should be given as 34:8. >Conversely, if the time is taken as the standard, then the date should be >99/09/29. > >I prefer the latter order, because all our place-value number systems give >the largest elements first and decrease to the smallest. > >My understanding is that Lojban gives the smallest unit first because it's >easier to leave off the others when they are unnecessary. To me this is not >a compelling reason to be inconsistent, especially in a language which is >consistent to an extreme. If Lojban were only a written language, that type of argument would be fine. But the conventions of spoken forms in most languages are to ellipsize unneeded information whenever possible to save breath and time. Lojban's unambiguity requires that ellipsis be regularized, and that regularization has been that trailing information is omitted. To follow the ISO standard would condemn Lojbanists to having to state the full year and month every time they want to give a date, and likewise the time to the second whenever they want to give a time. Imagine in English having to say "I have a doctors appointment on One thousand Nine hundred Ninety Nine, October first, at eleven hours and zero minutes and zero seconds." vs. "I have an appointment on the first at eleven." lojbab ---- lojbab ***NOTE NEW ADDRESS*** lojbab@lojban.org Bob LeChevalier, President, The Logical Language Group, Inc. 2904 Beau Lane, Fairfax VA 22031-1303 USA 703-385-0273 Artificial language Loglan/Lojban: see Lojban WWW Server: href=" http://xiron.pc.helsinki.fi/lojban/ " Order _The Complete Lojban Language_ - see our Web pages or ask me.