Received: from mail-gx0-f189.google.com ([209.85.161.189]:40437)
	by stodi.digitalkingdom.org with esmtps (TLSv1:RC4-SHA:128)
	(Exim 4.76)
	(envelope-from <lojban+bncCNTPpI2KGxDjw__2BBoEe7rZWw@googlegroups.com>)
	id 1RYPXA-0007bU-Fx; Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:00:14 -0800
Received: by ggnk3 with SMTP id k3sf1300099ggn.16
        for <multiple recipients>; Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:00:05 -0800 (PST)
DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed;
        d=googlegroups.com; s=beta;
        h=x-beenthere:received-spf:from:to:subject:date:user-agent
         :mime-version:message-id:x-original-sender
         :x-original-authentication-results:reply-to:precedence:mailing-list
         :list-id:x-google-group-id:list-post:list-help:list-archive:sender
         :list-subscribe:list-unsubscribe:content-type:content-disposition;
        bh=ZOFO8/S4Bqzy0rlDIPkGoaeoAFK9HUS9c86hzYm9Tpc=;
        b=Cgql69PD6XrKVos/XMtkG0m9vW1VI1CmxjzEoMem+CyX0n30oMnifQZNsyDPgotLH4
         Y5qoZG/8ZjXW/LTTGdAibeTND5AaQgBYpxxy0v5Gf2WQSooVzzs5DkkgmputesdMO0NX
         eFVpmzJIpZUMDCuLzgJS9tyYKSUp34Vey2AVA=
Received: by 10.236.154.131 with SMTP id h3mr252863yhk.13.1323295203264;
        Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:00:03 -0800 (PST)
X-BeenThere: lojban@googlegroups.com
Received: by 10.150.206.10 with SMTP id d10ls3620219ybg.3.gmail; Wed, 07 Dec
 2011 14:00:02 -0800 (PST)
Received: by 10.100.6.4 with SMTP id 4mr68055anf.47.1323295202232;
        Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:00:02 -0800 (PST)
Received: by 10.100.6.4 with SMTP id 4mr68053anf.47.1323295202212;
        Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:00:02 -0800 (PST)
Received: from chausie (cpe-075-176-118-168.carolina.res.rr.com. [75.176.118.168])
        by gmr-mx.google.com with ESMTP id u11si1363637anh.3.2011.12.07.14.00.01;
        Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:00:01 -0800 (PST)
Received-SPF: neutral (google.com: 75.176.118.168 is neither permitted nor denied by best guess record for domain of phma@phma.optus.nu) client-ip=75.176.118.168;
Received: from ip6-localhost (ip6-localhost [IPv6:::1])
	by chausie (Postfix) with ESMTP id 7A8CD22754
	for <lojban@googlegroups.com>; Wed,  7 Dec 2011 17:00:00 -0500 (EST)
From: Pierre Abbat <phma@phma.optus.nu>
To: lojban@googlegroups.com
Subject: [lojban] defining words in Lojban
Date: Wed, 7 Dec 2011 16:59:56 -0500
User-Agent: KMail/1.9.6 (enterprise 0.20070907.709405)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Message-Id: <201112071659.58154.phma@phma.optus.nu>
X-Original-Sender: phma@phma.optus.nu
X-Original-Authentication-Results: gmr-mx.google.com; spf=neutral (google.com:
 75.176.118.168 is neither permitted nor denied by best guess record for
 domain of phma@phma.optus.nu) smtp.mail=phma@phma.optus.nu
Reply-To: lojban@googlegroups.com
Precedence: list
Mailing-list: list lojban@googlegroups.com; contact lojban+owners@googlegroups.com
List-ID: <lojban.googlegroups.com>
X-Google-Group-Id: 1004133512417
List-Post: <http://groups.google.com/group/lojban/post?hl=en_US>, <mailto:lojban@googlegroups.com>
List-Help: <http://groups.google.com/support/?hl=en_US>, <mailto:lojban+help@googlegroups.com>
List-Archive: <http://groups.google.com/group/lojban?hl=en_US>
Sender: lojban@googlegroups.com
List-Subscribe: <http://groups.google.com/group/lojban/subscribe?hl=en_US>, <mailto:lojban+subscribe@googlegroups.com>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://groups.google.com/group/lojban/subscribe?hl=en_US>, <mailto:lojban+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Disposition: inline
X-Spam-Score: -0.7 (/)
X-Spam_score: -0.7
X-Spam_score_int: -6
X-Spam_bar: /

Let's say you have a word that takes more than one sentence to define. This 
could be because one sentence does not approximate precisely enough the 
meaning of the word, or because the word has different meanings in different 
contexts or as used by different people. I'll take "mammal" for example.

1. A vertebrate which has hair and, as an infant, feeds on milk produced by 
skin glands.
2. A vertebrate with one bone in the jaw and three in each inner ear.
3. A descendant of the last common ancestor of a human, a kangaroo, and a 
platypus.
All three definitions (assuming no mammal species were created along the way) 
define the same set of extant animals. The second is used by paleontologists, 
who have no way of telling whether an animal found as a fossil had milk 
glands, and the third is a cladistic definition. All crown-group mammals (the 
third definition) also satisfy the second definition, but some animals 
satisfy the second definition but not the third.

Now suppose you want to write a definition of "mabru" that has these three 
senses. Do you write the place structure once and then the three senses, or 
do you write the place structure in each sense? (The Lojban for the last two 
animals is "kanguru" and "ornitorinku".)

Pierre
-- 
lo ponse be lo mruli po'o cu ga'ezga roda lo ka dinko

-- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "lojban" group.
To post to this group, send email to lojban@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to lojban+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/lojban?hl=en.