Return-Path: Received: by snark.thyrsus.com (/\==/\ Smail3.1.21.1 #21.19) id ; Tue, 14 Jul 92 01:49 EDT Received: by cbmvax.cbm.commodore.com (5.57/UUCP-Project/Commodore 2/8/91) id AA04277; Tue, 14 Jul 92 00:07:38 EDT Received: from pucc.Princeton.EDU by relay1.UU.NET with SMTP (5.61/UUNET-internet-primary) id AA02341; Mon, 13 Jul 92 23:34:27 -0400 Message-Id: <9207140334.AA02341@relay1.UU.NET> Received: from PUCC.PRINCETON.EDU by pucc.Princeton.EDU (IBM VM SMTP V2R2) with BSMTP id 3728; Mon, 13 Jul 92 18:56:32 EDT Received: by PUCC (Mailer R2.08 ptf034) id 5645; Mon, 13 Jul 92 18:56:16 EDT Date: Mon, 13 Jul 1992 16:36:17 EDT Reply-To: John Cowan Sender: Lojban list From: John Cowan Subject: new use for bi'u: marks new information X-To: Lojban List To: John Cowan , Eric Raymond , Eric Tiedm n Status: RO X-From-Space-Date: Tue Jul 14 01:49:56 1992 X-From-Space-Address: cbmvax!uunet!CUVMB.BITNET!LOJBAN I propose that bi'u, explained in JL as a forethought de-emphasizer of a single word, be moved to selma'o UI and used as a "new information" flag. One of the current problems with Lojban is that a speaker may refer to someone as "le prenu", perhaps assigning a ko'a-series pro-sumti. Later in the same or another speaker's remarks, the phrase "le prenu" appears again. Is this the same or another? There's no way to be sure. All languages have ways of expressing this distinction. English uses its articles ("A man went to the store. Later, the man..."); Russian uses word order; Japanese, particles. Under this proposal, "le prenu" would be taken to refer to the same person, whereas "lebi'u prenu" would signal the introduction of a new person. Like all UI particles, "bi'u" would be optional and would have no influence on the grammar; when attached to a structure-opening cmavo such as "le", its influence would extend over the whole structure "le prenu [ku]". Naturally, "bi'unai" would be available for explicitly tagging old information. -- cowan@snark.thyrsus.com ...!uunet!cbmvax!snark!cowan e'osai ko sarji la lojban