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From: cbmvax!uunet!math.ucla.edu!jimc
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To: lojban-list@snark.thyrsus.com
Subject: Case vs Place terminology
Date: Tue, 21 May 91 08:52:49 -0700
Status: RO
X-From-Space-Date: Tue May 21 15:28:19 1991
X-From-Space-Address: cbmvax!uunet!math.ucla.edu!jimc

Rather than reply to Lojbab's reply in one impossible chunk, I'm going 
to try to do it piecemeal.  He explains why the term "place" is used to
refer to cases: there's an ongoing battle among linguists about whether
few or many cases are legitimate.  Lojban is designed to infuriate both
camps: a maximum of 5 numbered cases, infuriating the "many" crowd, but
arbitrarily extensible with modal cases, infuriating the "few" crowd.
In the hope of avoiding useless attacks, Bob eschews the word "case".  

This is an argument I can understand.  Maybe not agree with, but it's
not my place to refuse to go along with a matter of strategy.  So I'll
try to remember to say "place tag" rather than "caselink" when talking
about Lojban.  But don't forget, they're still cases.  I know it, you 
know it, and probably the linguists know it.  

		-- jimc