Sender: lojban@googlegroups.com
Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2017 07:33:38 -0700 (PDT)
From: vpbroman@gmail.com
To: lojban <lojban@googlegroups.com>
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Subject: [lojban] rewrite rules
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Because of my minimalist preferences, I'm interested in seeing how small a 
subset of lojban would be capable of expressing the same things as the full 
language.
If a hard word can be completely replaced by a rephrasing with easy words, 
then that word is useful for conciseness, but is otherwise dispensible.
If you had rewrite rules to macro expand words in terms of other words, and 
if you ordered words from complex to simple and required that the words in 
the rewrite be simpler than the word being rewritten (to avoid 
self-referential loops) then you don't infinitely regress, you eventually 
expand everything to its simplest possible terms.

This is like the concept of Semantic Primes, which alludes to the prime 
factorization of numbers.
As an inspiring example, Schemers point to how all computations can be 
expressed in terms of: lambda, recursion, if, quote, cons, car, cdr, and 
maybe a thing or two more -- I forget.

So, content words in lojban get defined in a dictionary in terms of other 
words.
But I'm interested in how our function words are defined in terms of other 
words.
Lots of examples are in CLL and the BPFK docs, such as this from xorlo.

lo broda ku = zohe noi keha broda kuho

I've collected all the rewrites that I could find (plus a handful I made 
up) and listed them in this rough draft document.
cmavo_equiv.txt
https://app.box.com/s/hjis4vnshj8tvnu2q2vg7hkcfh65fcyc

Suggesting additions/corrections would be appreciated.

Many are inexact equivalents, for example BAI is defined in terms of fiho, 
even though BAI fits syntactically in a number of places where a fiho 
phrase is not allowed.
Most of UI can be roughly equivalent to a sei-sehu phrase, at least when 
the UI appears at the start of the sentence, but sei-sehu doesn't seem to 
comment on anything more localized than the entire bridi. E.g.

ui = sei mi lo nu nei ca gleki sehu

Except ui can attach to individual words and indicate pleasure in them more 
specifically, not just in the whole statement.
My rewrites for UI->sei are very rough and incomplete, but they are paired 
with lojban definitions from jbovlaste.

The prosumti and probridi seem harder to rewrite. I wonder whether the 
following would make sense.

mi = lo cusku be luhe nei
do = lo te cusku be luhe nei

mihe bremenli

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<div dir=3D"ltr">Because of my minimalist preferences, I&#39;m interested i=
n seeing how small a subset of lojban would be capable of expressing the sa=
me things as the full language.<br>If a hard word can be completely replace=
d by a rephrasing with easy words, then that word is useful for conciseness=
, but is otherwise dispensible.<br>If you had rewrite rules to macro expand=
 words in terms of other words, and if you ordered words from complex to si=
mple and required that the words in the rewrite be simpler than the word be=
ing rewritten (to avoid self-referential loops) then you don&#39;t infinite=
ly regress, you eventually expand everything to its simplest possible terms=
.<br><br>This is like the concept of Semantic Primes, which alludes to the =
prime factorization of numbers.<br>As an inspiring example, Schemers point =
to how all computations can be expressed in terms of: lambda, recursion, if=
, quote, cons, car, cdr, and maybe a thing or two more -- I forget.<br><br>=
So, content words in lojban get defined in a dictionary in terms of other w=
ords.<br>But I&#39;m interested in how our function words are defined in te=
rms of other words.<br>Lots of examples are in CLL and the BPFK docs, such =
as this from xorlo.<br><br>lo broda ku =3D zohe noi keha broda kuho<br><br>=
I&#39;ve collected all the rewrites that I could find (plus a handful I mad=
e up) and listed them in this rough draft document.<br>cmavo_equiv.txt<br>h=
ttps://app.box.com/s/hjis4vnshj8tvnu2q2vg7hkcfh65fcyc<br><br>Suggesting add=
itions/corrections would be appreciated.<br><br>Many are inexact equivalent=
s, for example BAI is defined in terms of fiho, even though BAI fits syntac=
tically in a number of places where a fiho phrase is not allowed.<br>Most o=
f UI can be roughly equivalent to a sei-sehu phrase, at least when the UI a=
ppears at the start of the sentence, but sei-sehu doesn&#39;t seem to comme=
nt on anything more localized than the entire bridi. E.g.<br><br>ui =3D sei=
 mi lo nu nei ca gleki sehu<br><br>Except ui can attach to individual words=
 and indicate pleasure in them more specifically, not just in the whole sta=
tement.<br>My rewrites for UI-&gt;sei are very rough and incomplete, but th=
ey are paired with lojban definitions from jbovlaste.<br><br>The prosumti a=
nd probridi seem harder to rewrite. I wonder whether the following would ma=
ke sense.<br><br>mi =3D lo cusku be luhe nei<br>do =3D lo te cusku be luhe =
nei<br><br>mihe bremenli<br><br></div>

<p></p>

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