From: Nick Nicholas <nsn@mullian.ee.Mu.OZ.AU>
Message-Id: <199212150951.AA16736@munagin.ee.mu.OZ.AU>
Subject: Re: CAFE.INT: su'u xekri
To: C.J.Fine@bradford.ac.uk
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 92 20:51:33 EST
Cc: lojban@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu (Lojban Mailing List),
        nsn@mullian.ee.Mu.OZ.AU (Nick Nicholas)
X-Mozilla-Status: 0011

>The next instalment of my translation from Nick's 'black' piece

Mmm. I'm in for it again, I see... my obscurantism backfires yet again.

>A couple of waiters were slowly making their erratic way towards the
>drinkers. Paul was talking about being the active partner in sex,
>his face serious. The loud joke had caused that. (note 1)

Actually, it would have made sense had I said {le laurxajmi goi la paul.},
or {le laurxajmypre}: ("This loud joker has shown strength...")

>"I've too let the other person control", ruefully. "But last night  
>I dominated Liz." (note 2)
>"Was that planned?" 
>"Not quite sure - I think it was accidental."

"I *always* get topped! Heh, but I topped *Liz* last night!"
"On purpose?"
"Nah, must have been an accident."

>"Yes, a real pain. Look, stop being so nasty."
She said, looking at him adoringly...

>"Go on then, make me!" (something had been enough to make the quiet
>detailed (?) friendly and loving relationship which does not normally show
>this behaviour (note 3)) 

Oh! Er, you'll kick me for this: it's a continuation of the previous
parenthetical clause. The repetition of {vlipa} clearly isn't enough to
bind the two parentheticals together, and I'll revise it into an explicit
bind. ("He has shown strength in close friendship/love, which isn't
exemplified by this kind of behaviour! :) ") The {tcila} is obviously weak.

Why do I structure this whole narrative on such a rabbit-warren of
parenthetical comments? I don't know, the self-commenting, double-narrative
perplexity, made *formally* possible by Lojban's unambiguous punctuation,
intrigued me; I don't think it was wise to do it so cavalierly though (I'll
still do it, because there's a point to it, but I'll build in more safety
valves.)

>I understand the words, and
>think I have understood the sense, but for the life of me I can't work out
>what you were trying to achieve by that "co". 

Literally, afterthough tanru modification. Like postposed adjectives in
free order languages. My lack of self-defence competence characterised me,
but is an afterthough to my turning. (And a self-mocking aside, that
shouldn't be foregrounded.)

>		ko gleki selzdi le salci
go'ira'o

*******************************************************************************
 A freshman once observed to me:         Nick Nicholas am I, of Melbourne, Oz.
 On the edge of the Rubicon,             nsn@munagin.ee.mu.oz.au (IRC: nicxjo)
 men don't go fishing.                   Account expires end of February 1993.
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