Return-Path: Received: from SEGATE.SUNET.SE by xiron.pc.helsinki.fi with smtp (Linux Smail3.1.28.1 #1) id m0tCySD-0000ZTC; Wed, 8 Nov 95 02:33 EET Message-Id: Received: from listmail.sunet.se by SEGATE.SUNET.SE (LSMTP for OpenVMS v1.0a) with SMTP id A8EBD638 ; Wed, 8 Nov 1995 1:33:24 +0100 Date: Tue, 7 Nov 1995 20:01:32 +0000 Reply-To: ucleaar Sender: Lojban list From: ucleaar Subject: Re: Incredible! X-To: lojban@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu To: Veijo Vilva Content-Length: 1050 Lines: 20 la djan cusku die > > There are 2 kinds of syllable, C(@) and CV. @ is schwa and can be > > omitted between certain consonant pairs. Cmavo are all of form CV > > or CVCV or CVCVCV, etc. Gismu are all of form C(@)CV (with 17 C > > and 5 V, that gives 1445 possible gismu; Lojban actually has 7 V > > phonemes and 22 C phonemes, so that gives 2904 possible gismu). > This involves throwing overboard the current gismu-assignment system > with its effort to be mnemonic in six languages proportional to their > number of speakers, of course. That principle is actually far older > in the Project than the rafsi principle. The policy needn't be thrown overboard; it just gets applied less effectively. The traditional etymological method is not that useful - after all, very few gismu bear any mnemonically useful resemblance to their English counterparts - and since the algorithm itself was only ever rough-and-ready, and never perfected, its role should not be overplayed. As I said, patterns like "culture gismu end in O" are more useful. ---- And