Received: from VMS.DC.LSOFT.COM (vms.dc.lsoft.com [205.186.43.2]) by locke.ccil.org (8.6.9/8.6.10) with ESMTP id IAA11981 for ; Wed, 27 Sep 1995 08:39:32 -0400 Message-Id: <199509271239.IAA11981@locke.ccil.org> Received: from PEACH.EASE.LSOFT.COM (205.186.43.4) by VMS.DC.LSOFT.COM (LSMTP for OpenVMS v0.1a) with SMTP id 766C0125 ; Wed, 27 Sep 1995 8:19:43 -0400 Date: Wed, 27 Sep 1995 13:19:11 BST Reply-To: Don Wiggins Sender: Lojban list From: Don Wiggins Subject: Re: translation exercises:1 To: John Cowan Status: OR X-From-Space-Date: Wed Sep 27 08:39:37 1995 X-From-Space-Address: LOJBAN%CUVMB.BITNET@UBVM.CC.BUFFALO.EDU > Supposedly yes, but would everybody who knows what an amethyst is understand > the word "ametist"? I.e. is that or something similar the common name for > the stone in all languages? If the word has to be recognisable in *all* languages, I don't think there are going to be many fu'ivla :-) > > > e. Turn the screw to the left. > > .i ko cu cargau le klupe ku fo *le ma'u farna ku > > {How does one say in the positive direction?} > > I think {ma'u} and {ni'u} should be assigned rafsi. I remember this > being needed before, but I'm not sure about what, maybe positive and > negative electric charge. Is "turn the screw to the left" an Americanism? People over here would not say this, only "turn the screw anti-clockwise". They might guess what you meant, but would probably ask which way is that. If one thinks about it, it is an idiomatic construction because rotation about a symmetrical axis does not have anything explicitly 'left' to it. How does one say: Turn the screw anti-clockwise. co'o mi'e dn.