From LOJBAN%CUVMB.BITNET@UBVM.CC.BUFFALO.EDU Fri Dec 15 19:27:09 1995 Reply-To: Chris Bogart Date: Fri Dec 15 19:27:09 1995 Sender: Lojban list From: Chris Bogart Subject: Re: masses (the last one should have been dialectology) X-To: lojban@cuvmb.bitnet To: John Cowan Status: OR Message-ID: 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