From LOJBAN@CUVMB.BITNET Sat Mar 6 22:58:55 2010 Reply-To: "Robert J. Chassell" Sender: Lojban list Date: Tue Dec 17 10:09:33 1996 From: "Robert J. Chassell" Subject: Re: Lojban's imperfections? X-To: cprchrd@mailserv.mta.ca X-cc: lojban@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu, bob@rattlesnake.com To: John Cowan In-Reply-To: <9612122241.AA24162@mailserv.mta.ca> (cprchrd@mailserv.mta.ca) X-UIDL: 599e7588856e1236dcf4a2303a6e1887 X-Mozilla-Status: 0011 Content-Length: 961 X-From-Space-Date: Tue Dec 17 10:09:33 1996 X-From-Space-Address: - Message-ID: 1. In Lojban, why is the first argument of a predicate put before that predicate? ... Shouldn't the predicate be first, and then its arguments? You are not limited to one or the other arrangement. You have a choice. You can put the selbri at the end or at the beginning or elsewhere, and scramble the order of the sumti. To use the canonical example: mi la bastn. la .atlantas. le dargu le karce cu klama I to-Boston from-Atlanta via-the road using-the car, go. klama fa mi la bastn. la .atlantas. le dargu le karce go, I to-Boston from-Atlanta via-the road using-the car See the nearly baselined version of the chapter called `places.txt' which you can ftp from ftp.access.digex.net /pub/access/lojbab/draft-reference-grammar/ -- Robert J. Chassell bob@gnu.ai.mit.edu 25 Rattlesnake Mountain Road bob@rattlesnake.com Stockbridge, MA 01262-0693 USA (413) 298-4725