Return-Path: Message-Id: <9112112213.AA01182@relay1.UU.NET> Date: Wed Dec 11 18:29:39 1991 Reply-To: John Cowan Sender: Lojban list From: John Cowan Subject: More on Lojban and Prolog (long) X-To: Lojban List To: John Cowan , Eric Raymond , Eric Tiedemann Status: RO X-From-Space-Date: Wed Dec 11 18:29:39 1991 X-From-Space-Address: cbmvax!uunet!CUVMA.BITNET!LOJBAN The computer programming language Prolog is a subset of Lojban, and uses many of the same concepts and terminology. The following English word problem, due to John F. Sowa of IBM, neatly illustrates the process that can make Lojban machine-intelligible: *** Sowa's original English: Washable allergenic things are washed. Nonwashable allergenic things are vacuumed. Everything that is gray and fuzzy is allergenic. Shirts, socks, pajamas, dogs, and llamas are washable. Lamps, sofas, cats, and computers are nonwashable. Following are my gray, fuzzy possessions: my pajamas, my sofa, my cat Thothmes, and my llama Millicent. ...[D]etermine which of my possessions are washed and which vacuumed. *** A free Lojban translation of the English: ni'o ro lu'ircumki je bilmrsallergeni cu jaurselylumci .i ro nalylu'icumki je bilmrsalergeni cu sakcyselylumci .i ro grusi je sulpo'e cu bilmrsalergeni .i ro creka .e ro smoka .e ro siptaxfu .e ro gerku .e ro tcokumte cu lu'ircumki .i ro tergu'imi'i .e ro sfofa .e ro mlatu .e ro skami cu nalylu'icumki .i lemi siptaxfu .e lemi sfofa .e la totmes. poi mlatu .e la milisent. poi tcokumte cu grusi je sulpo'e je selponse be mi .i ro ma jaurselylumci .i ro ma sakcyselylumci *** Literal rendering of the Lojban: All wash-possible and sick-allergenic things are water-bewashed. All non-wash-possible and sick-allergenic things are vacuum-bewashed. All gray and wool-possessing things are sick-allergenic. All shirts and all socks and all sleep-garments and all dogs and all SouthAmerican-camels are wash-possible. All illumination-source-machines and all sofas and all cats and all computers are non-wash-possible. My sleep-garment and my sofa and Thothmes who is-a-cat and Millicent who is-a-SouthAmerican-camel are gray and wool-possessing and possessed by me. All what-things are-water-bewashed? All what-things are-suck-bewashed? *** Formalized Lojban suitable for Prolog conversion: ni'o roda zo'u da jaurselylumci .ijanai da lu'ircumki .ijebo da bilmrsalergeni ni'o roda zo'u da sakcyselylumci .ijanai da nalylu'icumki .ijebo da bilmrsalergeni ni'o roda zo'u da bilmrsalergeni .ijanai da grusi .ijebo da sulpo'e ni'o roda zo'u da lu'ircumki .ijanai da creka .i roda zo'u da lu'ircumki .ijanai da smoka .i roda zo'u da lu'ircumki .ijanai da siptaxfu .i roda zo'u da lu'ircumki .ijanai da gerku .i roda zo'u da lu'ircumki .ijanai da tcokumte ni'o roda zo'u da nalylu'icumki .ijanai da tergu'imi'i roda zo'u da nalylu'icumki .ijanai da sfofa roda zo'u da nalylu'icumki .ijanai da mlatu roda zo'u da nalylu'icumki .ijanai da skami ni'o mi ponse le siptaxfu .i le siptaxfu cu siptaxfu .i le siptaxfu cu grusi .i le siptaxfu cu sulpo'e ni'o mi ponse le sfofa .i le sfofa cu sfofa .i le sfofa cu grusi .i le sfofa cu sulpo'e ni'o mi ponse la totmes. .i la totmes. cu mlatu .i la totmes. cu grusi .i la totmes cu sulpo'e ni'o mi ponse la milisent. .i la milisent. cu tcokumte .i la milisent. cu grusi .i la milisent. cu sulpo'e ni'oni'o ma jaurselylumci le siptaxfu cu jaurselylumci re'i la milisent. jaurselylumci re'i fe'o ni'o ma sakcyselylumci le sfofa cu sakcyselylumci re'i la totmes. cu sakcyselylumci re'i fe'o *** Literal translation of the formalized Lojban: [new-topic] for-all x x is-water-bewashed if (x is-wash-possible and x is-allergenic) [new-topic] for-all x x is-suck-bewashed if (x is-non-wash-possible and x is-allergenic) [new-topic] for-all x x is-allergenic if (x is-gray and x is-wool-possessing) [new-topic] for-all x x is-wash-possible if x is-a-shirt for-all x x is-wash-possible if x is-a-sock for-all x s is-wash-possible if x is-a-sleep-garment for-all x x is-wash-possible if x is-a-dog for-all x x is-wash-possible if x is-a-SouthAmerican-camel [new-topic] for-all x x is-non-wash-possible if x is-an-illumination-source-machine for-all x x is-non-wash-possible if x is-a-sofa for-all x x is-non-wash-possible if x is-a-cat for-all x x is-non-wash-possible if x is-a-computer [new-topic] I possess that-described-as-a sleep-garment that-described-as-a sleep-garment is-a-sleep-garment that-described-as-a sleep-garment is-gray that-described-as-a sleep-garment is-wool-possessing [new-topic] I possess that-described-as-a sofa that-described-as-a sofa is-a-sofa that-described-as-a sofa is-gray that-described-as-a sofa is-wool-possessing [new-topic] I possess that-called Thothmes that-called Thothmes is-a-cat that-called Thothmes is-gray that-called Thothmes is-wool-possessing [new-topic] I possess that-called Millicent that-called Millicent is a SouthAmerican-camel that-called Millicent is-gray that-called Millicent is-wool-possessing [entirely-new-topic] what is-water-bewashed? that-described-as-a sleep-garment is-water-bewashed [ready-to-receive] that-called Millicent is-water-bewashed [ready-to-receive] [end-of-transmission] [new-topic] what is-suck-bewashed? that-described-as-a sofa is-suck-bewashed [ready-to-receive] that-called Thothmes is-suck-bewashed [ready-to-receive] [end-of-transmission] *** Sowa's original (English-based) Prolog, converted from IBM to Edinburgh syntax: washed(X) :- washable(X), allergenic(X). vacuumed(X) :- nonwashable(X), allergenic(X). allergenic(X) :- gray(X), fuzzy(X). washable(X) :- shirt(X). washable(X) :- sock(X). washable(X) :- pajama(X). washable(X) :- dog(X). washable(X) :- llama(X). nonwashable(X) :- lamp(X). nonwashable(X) :- sofa(X). nonwashable(X) :- cat(X). nonwashable(X) :- computer(X). possess(me, pj1). pajama(pj1). gray(pj1). fuzzy(pj1). possess(me, sf1). sofa(pj1). gray(pj1). fuzzy(pj1). possess(me, thothmes). cat(thothmes). gray(thothmes). fuzzy(thothmes). possess(me, millicent). llama(millicent). gray(millicent). fuzzy(millicent). ?- washed(X) washed(pj1) ; washed(millicent) ; no ?-vacuumed(X) vacuumed(sf1) ; vacuumed(thothmes) ; no -- cowan@snark.thyrsus.com ...!uunet!cbmvax!snark!cowan e'osai ko sarji la lojban