From LOJBAN%CUVMB.BITNET@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU Thu May 19 13:13:14 1994 Message-Id: <199405191713.AA14210@nfs1.digex.net> Date: Thu May 19 13:13:14 1994 Reply-To: Colin Fine Sender: Lojban list From: Colin Fine Subject: ta'e/na'o To: Bob LeChevalier Status: RO Jorge asks about the difference between ta'e and na'o. My suggestion is this: ta'e is about actual habits. na'o is about the typical behavour. When the are used of specified individuals, I think they are quite similar (though not quite - see below). But when they are used with indefinite descriptions or anaphora, ta'e refers to the actual habit of the identified individuals, na'o to the behaviour which might be regarded as typical of them as members or representatives of some group (the group often being implicit in the description). Thus le va tadni cu ta'e klama le ckuso'u = Those students habitually go to the library (it is their habit) le va tadni cu na'o klama le ckuso'u = Those students typically go to the library (it is typical of them - which doesn't necessarily imply that they do so either habitually or at all, merely that it is typical of the sort of behaviour they exhibit. But most often it will mean that they habitually go). But Ro lo tadni cu ta'e klama le ckuso'u = All students habitually go to the library (clearly false) Ro lo tadni cu na'o klama le ckuso'u = All students typically go to the library (probably still false, as it is not obviously typical of all students; but some people might claim it as true). I think part of what I am saying is that ta'e is more or less objective ('more or less' because you can argue about how often constitutes a habit), whereas na'o is a subjective evaluation (on the part of the speaker) di'u sidju xu? mi'e kolin