Return-Path: Message-Id: <9110102123.AA06126@relay1.UU.NET> Date: Thu Oct 10 18:41:08 1991 Reply-To: John Cowan Sender: Lojban list From: John Cowan Subject: Re: lojban predicates X-To: lojban To: John Cowan , Eric Raymond , Eric Tiedemann In-Reply-To: <9110092028.AA06998@relay1.UU.NET>; from "pucc.PRINCETON.EDU!bob" at Oct 9, 91 4:21 pm Status: RO X-From-Space-Date: Thu Oct 10 18:41:08 1991 X-From-Space-Address: cbmvax!uunet!CUVMA.BITNET!LOJBAN la bab. tcySEL. cusku di'e: > 2 + 2 > > In this example, the plus-sign is the equivalent of a lojban gismu. It is analogous to a gismu, but it is not the equivalent of a gismu. (Failure to grasp this point was one reason why the mekso part of Lojban was so late to be worked out.) A gismu expresses a >relation< (or, if it has only one place) a >property< which is either true or false. "2 + 2" is neither. Only the full equation "4 = 2 + 2" expresses a relation, one which holds between three terms. Lojban can treat this sentence either as a regular bridi with a 3-place selbri, or as an identity between two mathematical sumti. > (But note that the complete arithmetic expression consists of two > predicates, the plus-sign and the equals-sign; the lojban expression > using "klama" is an expression with only one predicate, asserting a > relationship among five objects/states/processes/entitites in the > universe.) "2 + 2 = 4" also has just one predicate. Expressed as a regular bridi, it reads: li vo nu'asu'i li re li re the-number 4 is-the-sum-of the-number 2 and-the-number 2 As a mathematical identity, it is: li vo du li re su'i re the-number 4 equals the-number 2 + 2 "su'i" is the "+" operator, and the "nu'a" prefix converts it into a selbri. -- cowan@snark.thyrsus.com ...!uunet!cbmvax!snark!cowan e'osai ko sarji la lojban