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Date:         Sat, 19 Feb 1994 07:30:21 -0500
Reply-To:     Logical Language Group <lojbab@ACCESS.DIGEX.NET>
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From:         Logical Language Group <lojbab@ACCESS.DIGEX.NET>
Subject:      GENERAL: Lojban etymologies and Chinese (was shi...)
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To:           Veijo Vilva <veion@XIRON.PC.HELSINKI.FI>
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>From sci.lang
>From: alan@maui.cs.ucla.edu (Yih-Jih Wang)
>To give you an idea of how "homonymic" Chinese can be, the following
>short yet complete story (by Zhao4 Yuan2-Ren4, a famous Chinese liguist)
>was written with just one "sound" -- "shi":
>
>    "Shi1-shi4 (Mr. Shi1) shi2 (eating) shi1 (lion) shi3 (a history of)"
>
>    "Shi2 shi4 (stone room) shi1-shi4 (poet) Shi1-shi4 (Mr. Shi).
>
>    Shi4 (loves) shi2 shi1 (to eat lions).  Shi4 (vow to) shi2 (eat)
>    shi2 (ten) shi1 (lions).  Shi4 (surname, he) shi2-shi2 (from time
>    to time) shi4 (goes to) shi4 (the market) shi4 (to see) shi1 (the
>    lions).  Shi2 (ten) shi2 (o'clock), shi4 (just so happened that)
>    shi2 shi1 (ten lions) shi4 shi4 (arrived the market).  Shi4 (he)
>    shi4 (with the power of) shi3 (arrow) shi4 (might), shi3 (made)
>    shi4 (those) shi2 shi1 (ten lions) shi4-shi4 (dead, passed
>    away).  Shi2 (picks up) shi4 (those) shi2-shi1 (ten lions') shi1
>    (bodies).  Shi2 shi2 (when he ate), shi3 (then) shi4 (realize, to
>    know) shi4 (those) shi2 shi1 shi1 (ten lions' bodies) shi2 (actually
>    (are)) shi2 (ten) shi2 shi1 (stone lions') shi1 (bodies).
>
>    Shi4 ((I'm just) trying) shi4 (to explain) shi4 (this) shi4 (story)."

Anyone who wonders about all those "ci" syllables in Lojban words will
find the preceding edifying.  Lets see, we have the following devised
from roots in the story (I'm guessing in many cases, since I'm not
actually checking the etymologies, and can't be absolutely sure of the
Chinese words anyway given the vagueness of Pinyin Chinese.)

citri   history
nelci   fond
citka   eat
cinfo   lion
pemci   poem    |= poet?
ciska?  writer  |
rokci   rock/stone
vitci?  various |= from time to time
temci?  interval|
zarci   market
tcika?  time of day
tcini?  situation
tutci?  tool (with the power of)
xarci?  weapon (arrow)
cilre?  learn (realize, come to know)
troci   try
ciksi   explain

He are all of the gismu with that letter combination.  Note that "ci" in
Lojban can also arise from Pinyin "chi" and "qi" syllables.

citka troci zarci ciska tcita nelci citno stici rokci cipni kelci cizra
pemci krici tcidu cinmo cilre batci notci cidja temci cinri vanci purci
tcini satci ciksi cilmo palci tcika cinse cipra cikna vrici manci cisma
ciblu steci cirko fatci bolci tcica lerci sonci cilce denci cutci tcila
tarci rirci ciste tcima cifnu salci canci citri cirla cnici tcaci draci
jipci panci cinba cinki ralci cimni lumci citsi xarci tutci cikre matci
nalci skaci pikci cmaci cidni cilta cigla gapci cinla selci vitci cinta
cinza smuci blaci jinci cinje cinfo rorci cicna sakci cindu cidro tinci
rinci senci kalci civla gutci cimde lanci