From nobody@digitalkingdom.org Tue Aug 11 15:22:26 2009 Received: with ECARTIS (v1.0.0; list lojban-list); Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:22:27 -0700 (PDT) Received: from nobody by chain.digitalkingdom.org with local (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1Mazjd-0003BY-Kz for lojban-list-real@lojban.org; Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:22:26 -0700 Received: from dsl.zenzebra.mv.com ([207.22.49.29] helo=cmarib.ramside) by chain.digitalkingdom.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1MazjX-0003Ae-Sr for lojban-list@lojban.org; Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:22:25 -0700 Received: from cmarib.ramside (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by cmarib.ramside (8.13.4/8.13.4) with ESMTP id n7BMM6MB027305 for ; Tue, 11 Aug 2009 22:22:06 GMT Received: (from rusat@localhost) by cmarib.ramside (8.13.4/8.13.4/Submit) id n7BMM566027302; Tue, 11 Aug 2009 22:22:06 GMT X-Authentication-Warning: cmarib.ramside: rusat set sender to sunrise2000@comcast.net using -f To: lojban-list@lojban.org Subject: [lojban] Re: potentially stupid question References: <5715b9300908101945jfa1c06v84f68bfccb7c8b1c@mail.gmail.com> From: sunrise2000@comcast.net Date: 11 Aug 2009 22:22:04 +0000 In-Reply-To: <5715b9300908101945jfa1c06v84f68bfccb7c8b1c@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <867hxavvn7.fsf@cmarib.ramside> Lines: 28 User-Agent: Gnus/5.09 (Gnus v5.9.0) Emacs/21.4 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-archive-position: 15955 X-ecartis-version: Ecartis v1.0.0 Sender: lojban-list-bounce@lojban.org Errors-to: lojban-list-bounce@lojban.org X-original-sender: sunrise2000@comcast.net Precedence: bulk Reply-to: lojban-list@lojban.org X-list: lojban-list Luke Bergen writes: > now I would think that a child learning a language as they grow would tend > to see the generalities of a language and apply those generalities to > unknown words and concepts. So wouldn't the child expect that the following > response (un-doubtedly screamed while running for cover): > > verba: .i go'i fi lonu do tolxendo > > would continue to be clever and grammatically correct since "fi" > *seems*like it usually means "under conditions"? > > Could the constantly shifting places for concepts like "under conditions" > cause natural learners of lojban to get confused? Luke, I don't know what your native language is... I'm assuming it's English. Children learning English have to contend with all sorts of confusing features of language... the irregularity of verbs like "to be" (am/are/is/etc.), homonyms like where/wear/we're and their/there, etc. Yet, somehow, kids (with, perhaps, a little schooling) manage to sort them all out. Lojban has no homonyms or irregulars like nat langs do. However, there is a whole mess of cmavo, rafsi, and (as you point out) structural elements to be learned. Which language, over all, is easier to learn? I don't know. But if I had to bet, I'd put my money on Lojban. To unsubscribe from this list, send mail to lojban-list-request@lojban.org with the subject unsubscribe, or go to http://www.lojban.org/lsg2/, or if you're really stuck, send mail to secretary@lojban.org for help.