From LOJBAN@CUVMB.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU Sat Mar 6 22:58:55 2010 Return-Path: Delivered-To: veion@XIRON.PC.HELSINKI.FI Received: (qmail 11833 invoked from network); 13 Dec 1996 02:59:01 -0000 Received: from segate.sunet.se (192.36.125.6) by xiron.pc.helsinki.fi with SMTP; 13 Dec 1996 02:59:01 -0000 Received: from listmail.sunet.se by SEGATE.SUNET.SE (LSMTP for OpenVMS v1.1a) with SMTP id <10.6C6E7BF1@SEGATE.SUNET.SE>; Fri, 13 Dec 1996 3:58:55 +0100 Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 21:53:33 -0500 Reply-To: "Robert J. Chassell" Sender: Lojban list 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: Veijo Vilva In-Reply-To: <9612122241.AA24162@mailserv.mta.ca> (cprchrd@mailserv.mta.ca) Content-Length: 961 Lines: 27 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