From cbmvax!uunet!cuvma.bitnet!LOJBAN Sun Dec 8 21:15:31 1991 Return-Path: Date: Sun Dec 8 21:15:31 1991 Message-Id: <9112082302.AA08170@relay1.UU.NET> Reply-To: cbmvax!uunet!pucc.princeton.edu!chandley Sender: Lojban list From: Chris Handley Subject: Re: more thoughts on lujvo X-To: LOJBAN%CUVMA.BITNET@pucc.princeton.edu To: John Cowan , Ken Taylor Status: RO Dave Cortesi raises some interesting ideas on th relationship between the speaker and the listener. This is especially true if these are of different cultures and may therefore apply different "world knowledge" to the interpretation. What happens if the auditor is a computer? Even reasonably smart computer programs are (typically) woefully lacking in any sort of world-knowledge and have very little culture to fall back on. _If_ one of the aims of Lojban is to be reasonably well understood by our modern idiot-savants, then some rules would be very helpful. However I can understand the reluctance to specify rules at this early stage, when there is a good chance that we will blow it. We would appear to be in a classic 'Catch 22' situation. (Anyone care to produce a tanru for that, bearing in mind when the movie was made). Chris Handley chandley@otago.ac.nz Dept of Computer Science Ph (+64) 3-479-8499 University of Otago Fax (+64) 3-479-8577 Dunedin, NZ