Return-Path: <@FINHUTC.HUT.FI:LOJBAN@CUVMB.BITNET> Received: from FINHUTC.hut.fi by xiron.pc.helsinki.fi with smtp (Linux Smail3.1.28.1 #1) id m0prtgU-00006SC; Fri, 15 Apr 94 22:36 EET DST Message-Id: Received: from FINHUTC.HUT.FI by FINHUTC.hut.fi (IBM VM SMTP V2R2) with BSMTP id 3953; Fri, 15 Apr 94 22:36:22 EET Received: from SEARN.SUNET.SE (NJE origin MAILER@SEARN) by FINHUTC.HUT.FI (LMail V1.1d/1.7f) with BSMTP id 3951; Fri, 15 Apr 1994 22:36:22 +0200 Received: from SEARN.SUNET.SE (NJE origin LISTSERV@SEARN) by SEARN.SUNET.SE (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 4462; Fri, 15 Apr 1994 21:34:55 +0200 Date: Fri, 15 Apr 1994 15:34:21 -0400 Reply-To: Logical Language Group Sender: Lojban list From: Logical Language Group Subject: Re: Once again... X-To: lojban@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu To: Veijo Vilva In-Reply-To: <199404151914.AA04537@nfs1.digex.net> from "Matthew Faupel" at Apr 15, 94 06:47:33 pm Content-Length: 1519 Lines: 44 la matius. cusku di'e > Is addition meaningful with only one argument? Yes, of course: addition with one argument is "unary plus". > Surely the addition operator > requires at least two operands and so if you provide only one, the listener > will (in good Lojban tradition) fill in the missing operand with the obvious > value. We have to distinguish between syntax and semantics here. Every operator can be used either as a 2-operand infix operator, thus: re su'i re 2 + 2 or as a su'o-operand prefix operator, thus: su'i reboi re[boi] where the elidable terminator "boi" is required to keep the numbers from combining into a single number. Some operators may make no semantic sense with the wrong number of operands, but + isn't one of them: Common Lisp, e.g. allows an arbitrary number of operands, including zero (Lojban can't handle zero operands for syntactic reasons). > This > is a moot point though in that, as has been pointed out, MEX expressions > can't be used with MOI or ROI without the rather clumsy {meli ... me'u} > bracketing. This works for MOI, but not for ROI, where there is simply no alternative to using a number or a lerfu-string -- you could say mi ry.roi klama le zarci (to li ry. du li re su'i re toi) I r-times go-to the store ( the-number r = the-number 2 + 2 ) I go to the store r times, where r = 2 + 2. -- John Cowan sharing account for now e'osai ko sarji la lojban.