Message-Id: <m0qHHoT-00001oC@xiron.pc.helsinki.fi>
Date:         Fri, 24 Jun 1994 16:02:10 EDT
Reply-To:     jorge@PHYAST.PITT.EDU
Sender:       Lojban list <LOJBAN%CUVMB.bitnet@FINHUTC.hut.fi>
From:         Jorge Llambias <jorge@PHYAST.PITT.EDU>
Subject:      Re: TECH: nunsucta sidbo
To:           Veijo Vilva <veion@XIRON.PC.HELSINKI.FI>
Content-Length: 1811
Lines: 58

la veion cusku di'e

>       jei/ni      mi djuno le jei ko'a slabu
>                   I know the extent to which he is old
>                   NOTE: not necessarily merely whether he
>                         is old or not (cf. JC)

This is an interesting distinction, which can in some way also
be made using du'u:

        mi djuno le du'u ko'a mokau slabu

In any case, if that's what {jei} means, it shouldn't be
translated as "the truth value".


>                   ko'a zenba le ni slabu

Or:                 ko'a zenba le ka slabu

It's hard to tell what the difference is.


>        mi zmadu do le ka [dakau] citka tu'o plise
>        I exceed you in the quality of eating a number of apples
>
>   I don't think the latter example exhibits a more illegitimate
>   use of "ka" than any other one of the comparison examples.

The use of dakau there is the one proposed in the abstractions paper,
but I think the usage proposed by Iain is both more useful, and more
in accordance with indirect questions.

I would write the sentence:

        mi zmadu do le ka citka xokau plise

(or {tu'okau}, but I prefer the question words) to make sure that the
exceedidng is in how many apples are eaten, and not, for instance,
in how fast the number of apples are eaten.

I am very tempted to suggest {ke'a} for the role of the lambda variable.
(I have no idea what a lambda variable is, other than what I've read
here, so I may be talking nonsense.) I know {ke'a} is used for
subordinate clauses, but the idea is similar. Would there be any
conflicts in extending the use of {ke'a} to this?

Then we would have:

        mi zmadu do le ka ke'a citka xokau plise

And then we can use {dakau} or {makau} for things like:

        mi zmadu do le ka [ke'a] jerna makau
        I exceed you in what we earn.


Jorge