Return-Path: Resent-From: cbmvax!uunet!PICA.ARMY.MIL!protin Resent-Message-Id: <9106192214.AA23937@relay1.UU.NET> 27 May 90 23:49 EDT To: protin@PICA.ARMY.MIL Subject: Re: feature check Date: 27 May 90 19:16:57 EDT (Sun) From: cbmvax!snark.uu.net!lojbab Message-Id: <9005271916.AA09476@snark.uu.net> Resent-Date: Wed, 19 Jun 91 18:12:33 EDT Resent-To: John Cowan Status: RO X-From-Space-Date: Wed Jun 19 19:49:37 1991 X-From-Space-Address: cbmvax!uunet!PICA.ARMY.MIL!protin There are two obvious and significant differences between your two examples. The Lojban, by the way is, ba barda nanmu and ba nanmu barda In the first example the place structure of the bridi that would be formed a First difference: In the first example, the place structure of the bridi is that of 'nanmu' In the second, the place structure is that of 'barda'. Thus you are claiming something different about what 'da' is. Further, if there were any other places specified (and they are all implicitly present even though you left them out), they would be defined as places of the last element of the tanru. Second difference: Actually closely related to the first, is what you are claiming. In English the first is "Something x is a biggish man.". The second says "Something x is a mannish big thing." You can much more easily imagine a basketball player being referred to by the first sentence. The second sentence, at least in the ellipsized form, seems to be talking about something 'big' on a more arbitrary and universal scale, which is incidentally like a adult male human being is some way. Remember that tanru modification is NOT unambiguous though, and there are place structure fill-ins that could be made for ellipsized places that could render the two almost identical. But the final position is the determining one. Note to Arthur:, because my mail feature is dumb, it is sending this just to you, as a reply. Can you turn it around and post it to the list for me? Thanx --lojbab