Message-Id: <m0rpvPU-0009acC@xiron.pc.helsinki.fi>
Date:         Sat, 18 Mar 1995 05:05:36 -0500
Reply-To:     Logical Language Group <lojbab@ACCESS.DIGEX.NET>
Sender:       Lojban list <LOJBAN%CUVMB.bitnet@FINHUTC.hut.fi>
From:         Logical Language Group <lojbab@ACCESS.DIGEX.NET>
Subject:      Re: Several quick questions:
To:           Veijo Vilva <veion@XIRON.PC.HELSINKI.FI>
Content-Length: 1921
Lines: 41

>1 - I want to mess around with the yacc grammar for lojban a little.  The
>file that's online has a comment in it that says:
>
>   There will be additional comment updates and extensive additions per
>   change 19 prior to republication.  The intent is to make the YACC
>   grammar much more self-explanatory.
>
>Is this the latest, or has this "change 19" business already been done, and
>I'm (once again) looking in the wrong place?

The latest grammar is (I think) 2.35, which therfore has all changes
incorporated up through 35.  Theoretically we can make some additional
comment changes under the guidelines of Change 19 if someone sees something
out of line.  The will be added commenting done prior to putting the thing
in a book, which is why the comment is there.  In short, Change 19 was a
blanket for certain kinmds of cosmetic changes.

The file name for the correct grammar is thus grammar.235

>2 - I noticed that the entire source code for the parser is not online.  Is
>it available?  For free?  For a charge?

Generally it is available by negotiation.  Donations are always welcome.

>3 - What's the latest wisdom on whether attitudinals are significant to the
>logical meaning of a bridi?  If I say ".ianai le gerku cu barda", am I
>stating that the dog is big, but that the truth of that fills me with some
>kind of sense of disbelief -- or am I saying approximately "I don't believe
>the dog is big".

Standard wisdom is that attitudinals have no effect on the logical meaning of
a bridi, BUT they do affect whether the statement of the bridi is to be taken
as an assertion of truth.  I interpret .ianai as indicating a disbelief in
the truth of the bridi it is attached to - as to whether the claim is made

in spite of that disbelief, I would say that depends on context.  ("I don't
believe it but it is true").

Thus attitudinals have ENORMOUS pragmatic effect, but little logical effect.

lojbab