Return-Path: Message-Id: Date: Fri, 10 May 91 07:01 EDT From: lojbab (Bob LeChevalier) To: lojban-list Subject: ko'a stizu Status: RO X-From-Space-Date: Fri May 10 07:02:43 1991 X-From-Space-Address: lojbab >ko'a stizu John Cowan labelled this "incorrect" where ko'a has not been assigned. This is only partially correct, and as noted, we teach this in introductory lessons where relative phrases with "goi" have not been used. If ko'a has not been defined, then using ko'a risks confusion. The appropriate answer then is "ko'a ki'a stizu", which for novices has to be answered with "ko'a du ti". We would prefer people to use the vague usage "ko'a stizu" than to overuse "du" as "ko'a du le stizu" which new Lojbanists will (and do) quickly acquire the malglico and very incorrect non-predicaty "du" = English "is". So I favor people using undefined "ko'a" at the start. It is a relatively unserious error that is easily correctable and usually communicative. As opposed to the alternative, which if theoretically more correct is risky of bad pedagogy. Hmmm. Perhaps "zo ko'a sinxa le stizu" is within a lesson 1 or lesson 2 student's grasp,in which case it should replace the sloppy form. But "ko'a stizu" is always grammatical, and there is the possibility that the speaker defined it before the listener came in, in which case "ko'a ki'a stizu" is still the appropriate response. -lojbab