From LOJBAN%CUVMB.bitnet@YaleVM.YCC.YALE.EDU Sat Mar 6 22:59:42 2010 Received: from YALEVM.YCC.YALE.EDU by MINERVA.CIS.YALE.EDU via SMTP; Sat, 23 Jan 1993 07:33:24 -0500 Received: from CUVMB.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU by YaleVM.YCC.Yale.Edu (IBM VM SMTP V2R2) with BSMTP id 4962; Sat, 23 Jan 93 07:32:06 EST Received: from CUVMB.BITNET by CUVMB.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU (Mailer R2.07) with BSMTP id 6495; Sat, 23 Jan 93 07:32:13 EST Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1993 23:31:53 EST Reply-To: Nick Nicholas Sender: Lojban list From: Nick Nicholas Subject: Re: TEXT:COMMENTS dragons X-To: lojbab@GREBYN.COM X-Cc: Lojban Mailing List To: Erik Rauch In-Reply-To: ; from "Logical Language Group" at Jan 23, 93 12:39 am Status: RO X-Status: X-From-Space-Date: Sat Jan 23 18:31:53 1993 X-From-Space-Address: @YaleVM.YCC.YALE.EDU:LOJBAN@CUVMB.BITNET Message-ID: <0vpdzHRMzaN.A.mNC.e70kLB@chain.digitalkingdom.org> >I have always used the same borrowing as Nick, but the etymology seems >to suggest that the "ne" on the end doesn't belong - the word "dragon" >is listed as being of Greco-Latin origin without the 'n'. In borrowing from Latin, I follow Peano's principle (from Latino sine Flexione) of using the ablative of nouns: it virtually always ends in a vowel, and is usually more recognisable through modern languages than the nominative. Thus Flexione, not Flexio; Dracone, not Draco. There are cases in which the nominative is more recognisable (Libido, Libidine (cf. Libidinous)) --- but it is nice to be consistent in these cases. It's hard to come up with a similar default case for Greek borrowings; the dative deviates too often, and has wierd final vowels; the genitive often has a final -s, and the nominative often has the same problem as in Latin: a different stem. One either uses the accusative (which gives 'poiema' for poem --- accusative often ends up with the same stem as nominative) or latinise it and take the ablative (which gives 'poemate'. The Greek dative for poem is 'poiemati', and genitive, 'poiematos'). This all smells a lot like neolatin ALs, I know, but it's nice to be consistent in these matters. It's not that essential, and if John can get away with 'partiti' instead of 'partitione', then I suppose anything is possible :) "Kai` sa`n swqh~kan t'akriba` piota`, N N O nsn@munagin.ee.mu.oz.au kai` sa`n plhsi'aze pia` [h [w'ra te'sseres, I I L IRC:nicxjo RL:shaddupnic sto`n e'rwta doqh~kan eutuxei~s." C C A University of Melbourne. K.P.Kaba'fhs, _Du'o Ne'oi, 23 E'ws 24 Etw~n_ K H S *Ceci n'est pas un .sig*