Message-Id: <m0syV9j-0000ZSC@xiron.pc.helsinki.fi>
Date:         Thu, 28 Sep 1995 22:06:24 EDT
Reply-To:     jorge@PHYAST.PITT.EDU
Sender:       Lojban list <LOJBAN@CUVMB.BITNET>
From:         jorge@PHYAST.PITT.EDU
Subject:      Re: CONLANG: Introducing _The Babel Text_
To:           Veijo Vilva <veion@XIRON.PC.HELSINKI.FI>
Content-Length: 2980
Lines: 76

i mi spuda la goran

> > > 1LB. i piro le munje cu se bangu pada gi'e selkau le ka tavla fo makau
> .i piro loi munje prenu cu se bangu pa da (Worlds don't talk, people do)

i piro le munje [be piro loi prenu] cu se bangu

> > > 2A.  As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled
> > >      there.
> .i ki'u lenu mo'idu'a litru ku loi goi ko'a remna lo pitytumla la cinar.
> klama gi'e co'a xabju

i lei remna na klama lo pitytumla ba'e fi la cinar

> > > 3A.  They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them
> > >      thoroughly."  They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.
> .i ko'a simsku lu .e'u mi'o lo kitybli cu zbasu gi'e mulsudgau li'u .i
> ko'a pilno vu'a loi kitybli kufa'u loi tarla lu'u pe se ba'i loi rokci
> ku fa'u loi rokpexvelyla'a

vu'a -> vu'i, but I doubt they were using sequences for anything.
Since you need to bracket it, I suggest {lu'o} instead of {vu'i}.

> (I doubt they baked the bricks in an oven... sun is more likely what
> they used; if so, then seltokgau seems a bit inappropriate)

Probably they used fire.

> > > 4A.  Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower
> > >      that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for
> > >      ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
> .i ko'a cusku lu .e'u mi'o zbasu lo tcadu co tsani jorne galdi'u
> gi'emu'ibo tu'e misno gi'enai munje rirci

Why {rirci}?

> (xorxes: .e'u throw pe'a in before pulci)

I like And's {toljmaji}.

> > > 5LB. i ku'i le nolcei cu dzikla tezu'e le nu catlu le tcadu e le
> > >      galdi'u poi lei remna ke'a ca'o zmadu
> .iku'i le cevni cu dzikla tezu'i catlu lu'o le tcadu ku joi le ri
> galdi'u lu'u poi ko'a ca'o zbasu

tezu'i -> tezu'e le nu

> (xorxes: your poi describes only galdi'u, not tcadu.

I know, but the alternative is too heavy for my taste. My wording
still makes sense, le cevni came down to see the city and also to
see the tower that they were building.

> > > 6A.  The Lord said, "If as one people speaking the same language they
> > >      have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be
> > >      impossible for them.
> > > 6LB. i le nolcei cu cusku lu za'a lei remna noi se bangu pa da cu
> > >      ba'oco'a zmadu ti ija'o no selpla ba nalselka'e ry
> .i le cevni cusku lu lo remna cu mitselbau zukte nagi'a snada tu'a ro
> terpla be vo'a

That's not what cy is saying. Cy observes what they are doing and from
that concludes what they are capable of doing.

> .i lenu zo babel ri cmene cu se krinu la'edi'u no'u lenu le cevni cu
> spoga'i lo bangu be ro terdi prenu .i by. te toljmaji le terdi sefta ko'a

"Babel" is not the name of "Babel" but of Babel, so at least you'd have
to say {le nu zo babel la'e ri cmene}, but it sounds too circular to me.

> It's quite interesting to see different styles of writing on the same
> text... 'Twas fun. :) Hope you didn't mind the occasional comment...

i go'i ra'o

co'o mi'e xorxes