From cbmvax!uunet!ctr.columbia.edu!shoulson Fri Aug 9 15:04:34 1991 Return-Path: From: "Mark E. Shoulson" Date: Fri Aug 9 15:04:34 1991 Message-Id: <9108091732.AA22173@relay2.UU.NET> To: EVANS@binah.cc.brandeis.edu Cc: conlang@buphy.bu.edu, lojban-list@snark.thyrsus.com In-Reply-To: Ronald Hale-Evans's message of Fri, 9 Aug 91 12:21 EDT <9108091624.AA25270@BU.EDU> Subject: Linguistics and SF Status: RO I meant to mention this one; you might find it interesting. I'm CC'in the lojban-list solely becuase Lojban's structure is remeniscent of the one I'm going to talk about. In a story by Larry Niven ("Grammar Lesson," which can be found in "Convergent Series," if memory serves), there is a very SW-ish discussion with a member of an alien race, the chirpsithra. It seems that in their language (Lottl, I think), there are three forms of possessive: Intrinsic, Relation, and Property. Intrinsic is used for body-parts and such, arm, foot, etc. Relation is used for familial relationships, {my} mother, {my} sister. Property is used for propert, [my] house, [my] credit cards. (How they'd handle "my friend" is not explained.) Anyway, they have a story from their history which they tell to all little chirpsithra in grammar school. It seems that once, as the chirps were expanding their realm across the galaxy, they came into conflict with another race, contending over some planets which both wanted. By observing the behavior of prisoners, the chirps were able to deduce the nature of the home planet of the others, and thus what they looked for in a planet. With this knowledge, they just withdrew from the planet they knew the others wanted and avoided conflict. This is given as an important lesson in the importance of their possessives, since the chirps had no trouble ceding the planets, but many a Terran man would fight and die defending " home" (note intrinsic). Obviously an SW reference (though of course I had never heard of SW until long after I read the story). Thought you all might be interested. ~mark