Date: Mon, 16 Jan 1995 14:17:29 -0500 (EST)
From: jorge@PHYAST.PITT.EDU
Subject: Re: ago (LONG and la'a incorrect :))
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To: Veijo Vilva <veion@XIRON.PC.HELSINKI.FI>
Reply-to: jorge@PHYAST.PITT.EDU
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coi doi goran  i do cusku di'e

> .i ri'ada'i lonu lonu mi tcedjica lenu la lojban. klunu'i cu fanza do ku
> ko cusku fi mi

i ju'o na fanza  i noda poi se cusku bau la lojban cu fanza mi
i mi djica le nu la lojban mutce zmadu se pilno

> .i lu da dunda lei da re fepni sera'a de li'u ba'e je'a tcegliklu

i ie go'i  i ku'i cafne fa le nu se pilno bau na'ebo la gliban va'o
le samymu'e  i pe'i binxo lo samymu'eklu selsku  i le lojbo selmriste
cu pagbu le samymu'e pe'ipei?

......

On the question of "ago"/"from now"/"away":

> Yes. But I don't think the present is not useful. Especially the
> spatial equivalent, VI series. Don't tell me you claim never to need
> something like {ko'a kelci va le ckule}?

That would be {ko'a kelci ki le ckule vaku} or simply {ko'a va kelci
ki le ckule} or even {ko'a va kelci to'o le ckule}.

The selmahos VA and ZI represent magnitudes, and their natural complements
are magnitude specifiers. I don't see why they should do double duty for
something that can be better said with members of PU and FAhA.

Another thing is that {vi} is used a lot instead of {bu'u} to mean "at"
or "in" (at least I have used it like that), and I think that's wrong, too.

> There is much less meddling and change and trouble if we would just
> introduce new sumti tcita, instead of changing the existing ones. I
> mean, something like new cmavo, say, {xe'i} (after temci - te'i is not
> allocated, if I didn't miss anything). I don't remember {xe'i}
> experimental cmavo being in use, too.

[examples omitted]

> Enough raving. Tell me what you think. Or to shut up. :)

I think that the best thing is to replace {xe'i} with {za} or {va} in
your examples. The meddling would be only with the theory, because
these words have seen very little actual use as sumti tcita.

> ta'o is there a gismu for distance, like equivalent for {temci}, or is
> it necessarily {nilda'o} or {da bi'i de mitre di}-like expressions?

How about {tersei}?

> co'o mi'e. goran. poi ko na .e'oga'inai catra vau zo'o

co'o mi'e xorxes poi do'a ke'a do na catra vau zo'o