Message-Id: <m0tAQHA-0000ZRC@xiron.pc.helsinki.fi>
Date:         Tue, 31 Oct 1995 14:14:15 EST
Reply-To:     jorge@PHYAST.PITT.EDU
Sender:       Lojban list <LOJBAN@CUVMB.BITNET>
From:         jorge@PHYAST.PITT.EDU
Subject:      Almost & barely
To:         lojban@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu
Content-Length: 1111
Lines: 33

How do we say these in Lojban:

        I touched it.
        I barely touched it.
        I almost touched it.

The first is {mi pu pencu ta}, but what about the others?
"Barely" means that I touched it, but was very close not to.
"Almost" means that I didn't touch it, but was very close to do it.

They are both borderline cases. If we consider the space of actions,
"barely" and "almost" are both close to the boundary between touching
and not touching, one just inside and the other just outside.

The only thing I could find that could somewhat be used for this is
{ba'u}, "exaggeration":

        ba'u mi pu pencu ta.
        Exaggerating, I touched it.
        (I didn't really, but stretching it I did. I almost did.)

        ba'u mi na pu pencu ta.
        Exaggerating, I didn't touch it.
        (I did actually, but it was almost like I didn't. I barely did.)

But these are not very satisfying. When we say "barely" or "almost"
we are not exaggerating, we are just saying that something happened
or didn't happen but was very close to not happening or happening,
respectively.

Any ideas?

Jorge