Return-Path: <@SEGATE.SUNET.SE:LOJBAN@CUVMB.BITNET> Received: from SEGATE.SUNET.SE by xiron with smtp (Linux Smail3.1.28.1 #1) id m0sOKMe-0000YmC; Wed, 21 Jun 95 10:38 EET DST Message-Id: Received: from segate.sunet.se by SEGATE.SUNET.SE (LSMTP for OpenVMS v0.1a) with SMTP id AD3EB56A ; Wed, 21 Jun 1995 9:27:22 +0200 Date: Wed, 21 Jun 1995 03:25:26 -0400 Reply-To: Logical Language Group Sender: Lojban list From: Logical Language Group Subject: ri ra ru, Rah! Rah! Rah! X-To: lojban@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu To: Veijo Vilva Content-Length: 1086 Lines: 29 >> >So what does this mean: >> > >> > so'a da poi gerku cu se denci ije so'i da batci da >> > Almost all dogs have teeth, and most of those bite (themselves?/ >> > those that bite?/those with teeth?) >> >> It means someone is trying to come up with a difficult case that is hard >> to understand, and has succeeded. >> >> I start with using instead of that final "da": >> ri = themselves (respectively or distributively is a bit ambiguous) > >Respectively in my opinion. That is, if {ri} can refer back to {da}. I >think {ri} should refer back to any sumti whatever, but that's not the >canon. > >> ra = those with teeth >> ru = dogs > >How do you get these to be different? There is only one sumti in the >first sentence. There is an implied prenex "da poi gerku zo'u", right? That first sentence is logically "da poi gerku zo'u so'a da cu se denci". The reference to a "ru" when there is no overt sumti to be referred to suggests that one is referring to an unstated sumti, and the unstated prenex seems the logical (zo'o) place to come up with it. lojbab