Message-Id: <m0rEaEc-00007jC@xiron.pc.helsinki.fi>
Date:         Sat, 3 Dec 1994 08:33:42 +0800
Reply-To:     Mark A Biggar <mab@WDL.LORAL.COM>
Sender:       Lojban list <LOJBAN%CUVMB.bitnet@FINHUTC.hut.fi>
From:         Mark A Biggar <mab@WDL.LORAL.COM>
Subject:      Re: modals (was:  cmavo hit-list)
To:           Veijo Vilva <veion@XIRON.PC.HELSINKI.FI>
Content-Length: 1347
Lines: 36

>From @uga.cc.uga.edu:LOJBAN@CUVMB.BITNET Thu Dec  1 21:44 PST 1994
>"Se'o" is a useful epistemic modal. How do you know God exists?
>"Se'o" - by inner experience.

Speaking of the modals that express how you know something, I got some
questions.  I noticed that besides Se'o (by inner experience) that there also:

ba'a  I anticipate (does this include guess?)
ca'e  I define
ja'o  I conclude (deductive? or does this also include inductive?)
ju'a  I state
ka'u  I know culturally
pe'i  I opine (suppose?)
ru'a  I postulate (includes theorize?)
su'a  I generlize
ti'e  I hear
za'a  I obsreve

In the course of trying to translate some passages of a grade-school level
science book (in an attempt to get my science-mad 5th-grade nephew
interested in Lojban)  I ran into the need for at least one more model
of this type, one that says "I know on authority" or "from a trusted source".
In some cases ka'u will work (like when talking about religion) and ti'e
is much too weak.  When talking about things that are known from expermintal
evidence, you can't really use za'a unless you personally did the experiment,
or if a logical proof exists, you really can't use ja'o unless you yourself have
done or verified the proof.

In addition how do you attribute a supposed modal to someone other then
yourself?

Thanks

--
Mark Biggar
mab@wdl.loral.com