Return-Path: <lojbab>
Message-Id: <m0jYWtv-0001xDC@snark.thyrsus.com>
Date: Thu, 2 May 91 02:12 EDT
From: lojbab (Bob LeChevalier)
To: lojban-list
Subject: on "most"
Status: RO
X-From-Space-Date: Thu May  2 02:12:59 1991
X-From-Space-Address: lojbab

I'll be running this topic by pc (John Parks-Clifford) for a more authoratative
opinion on the logical aspects.  The semantics of "most" in Lojban are m
minimally defined.  In addition to "exact" numeric quantifiers, we have a 
series of non-exact quantifiers.  These range from so'a to so'u, with da'a
added as an afterthought alonmg with ji'i and du'e.  These ARE a scale - they
have meaning relative to each other, most of all, rather than a formal
quantificational definition.

so'a   almost all possible
so'e   "most" a large number, but less than so'a, more than so'i
so'i   "many" a nother large number, less than so'e more than so'o
so'o   "several" a moderate number, less than so'i, more than so'u
so'u   "a few" a small non-0 number

da'a was added for "all-but-n" default one to give penultimate, antepenultimate,
and the "true" quantifier for exclusive universals  (such as the quantifier on
non-superaltive values)


ro is of course "each" or "all"

ji'i is "approximately" generally followed by a number, but defaulting to 1.

we also have su'o "at least" default the smallest non-0 value 
             su'e "at most" default ro
rau  "enough"
du'e "too many"

Each of these can be preceded by the decimal point pi to get fractions of the 
whole:

piro  all of
piso'a almost all of
piso'e most of
piso'i much of
piso'o quite a bit of
piso'u a little of
pidu'e too much of

etc.

Again, these are relative quantifiers, defined in relation to each other, the
minimum value, and the maximum value.

-lojbab