Return-Path: id AA02869; Mon, 12 Aug 91 05:23:37 EDT Message-Id: <9108120923.AA02869@alfalfa.com> Date: Sun, 11 Aug 91 21:34:32 EDT From: cbmvax!uunet!alfalfa.com!pro-angmar!steffan (Steven Mesnick) To: lojban-list@snark.thyrsus.com Subject: "Could you please..." "Yes" X-Mailer: Mail Manager (1.5 29apr91) Status: RO X-From-Space-Date: Mon Aug 12 06:56:53 1991 X-From-Space-Address: cbmvax!uunet!alfalfa.com!pro-angmar!steffan That was an interesting insight re: the child's "please" form vs. the adult's "could you" form. I have also frequently encountered the annoying practice of answering a "Could you..." request with "Yes" or "No" rather than supplying the data actually sought. ("Could you tell me what time it is?" "Yes".) I assume this has something to do with Lisp's "P-convention", as in "Time-P?" The answer to this is, of course "T" or "NIL", but the question is *really* asking "What time is it?" So in Lojban, the answer to "Do you know what time it is" would have to be "Yes" or "No", right?