Return-Path: LOJBAN%CUVMB.BITNET@vms.dc.LSOFT.COM Received: from SEGATE.SUNET.SE (segate.sunet.se [192.36.125.6]) by xiron.pc.helsinki.fi (8.7.1/8.7.1) with ESMTP id CAA02587 for ; Sat, 16 Dec 1995 02:10:51 +0200 Message-Id: <199512160010.CAA02587@xiron.pc.helsinki.fi> Received: from listmail.sunet.se by SEGATE.SUNET.SE (LSMTP for OpenVMS v1.0a) with SMTP id E2D0C0DB ; Sat, 16 Dec 1995 1:11:26 +0100 Date: Fri, 15 Dec 1995 17:05:39 -0700 Reply-To: Chris Bogart Sender: Lojban list From: Chris Bogart Subject: Re: masses (the last one should have been dialectology) X-To: lojban@cuvmb.bitnet To: Veijo Vilva Content-Length: 848 Lines: 23 Jorge and pc were doing mean things to water and cats: > le xadba be le vi djacu cu djacu > Half of this quantity of water is a quantity of water. > >But can I say: > > le xadba be le vi mlatu cu mlatu > Half of this cat is a cat. > >I don't think that makes much sense, or I don't know what is mlatu. mlatu isn't necessarily singular. If {le vi mlatu} above referred to Loki and Thekla, then would {le xadba} be just Loki? Or would {le} distribute so we're really saying {le re xadba be le re vi mlatu}, i.e. half of *each* cat? ____ Chris Bogart \ / http://www.quetzal.com Boulder, CO \/ cbogart@quetzal.com "Life is strange. Some people get rich, others eat shit and die. Maybe a fat man will feel his heart burst and call it beautiful." - Hunter S Thompson