Received: from access2.digex.net by nfs1.digex.net with SMTP id AA22231
  (5.67b8/IDA-1.5 for <lojbab@nfs1.digex.net>); Thu, 15 Sep 1994 23:40:57 -0400
Received: by access2.digex.net id AA19891
  (5.67b8/IDA-1.5 for lojbab); Thu, 15 Sep 1994 23:39:24 -0400
Date: Thu, 15 Sep 1994 23:39:24 -0400
From: Logical Language Group <lojbab>
Message-Id: <199409160339.AA19891@access2.digex.net>
To: i.alexander.bra0125@oasis.icl.co.uk
Subject: Re:  TECH: Any old thing whatsoever (was RE: do djica loi ckafi je'i tcati)
Cc: lojbab@access.digex.net, lojban@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu
Status: RO
X-From-Space-Date: Thu Sep 15 23:41:01 1994
X-From-Space-Address: lojbab

A major reason why "loi tanxe" should work in Lojban is that in Lojban, 
singular plural is a marked distinction, AND that all nouns can be considered
as mass nouns.

You do not, in English, typically say "I need *a* water", you say "I need
water", and leave the quantity of the mass to be determinable from context.
If you need to be specific, you say something like "I need a glass of water",
or "I need a liter of water".  One way to do this in Lojban, for boxes is
"mi nitcu pa selci poi tanxe" "I need one indivisible subunit of the mass
of boxes."

Does this help?

lojbab