Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 12:51:51 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <199710171751.MAA28006@locke.ccil.org> Reply-To: And Rosta Sender: Lojban list From: And Rosta Organization: University of Central Lancashire Subject: Re: Problems with Abstraction X-To: rk@prefer.net To: John Cowan X-Mozilla-Status: 0011 Content-Length: 1786 Lines: 42 Ron: > > It seems to me that either constraints must be placed > > on the possible interpretation of {zo`e} (at present the > > only such constraint is that {no da} is excluded}, or > > sentences with zo`e sumti will be susceptible to a huge > > array of conflicting and sometimes contradictory interpretations. > > > > It might be countered that because {zo`e} means "the understood > > sumti", it will only be used (explicitly or implicitly) when > > the addressee is perfectly aware how zo`e is interpreted, > > but the fact is that in the case of implicit zo`e this is > > untrue. In fact I think implicit zo`e is interpreted either > > as {ba`e ko`a} (i.e. specific) or as {da} with implicit > > existential quantification of maximally narrow scope. > > Doesn't "I don't eat" suffer from the same ambiguity? One could argue > that one who is making that statement might just be a somewhat slang and > sloppy response to "Will you eat these anchovies?" implying that I just > won't eat the anchovies. Certainly it would be a lot clearer if the > said "I don't eat those anchovies" or even "I don't eat those". Even if true, it wouldn't make a difference re Lojban. But in face it is a rule of English that the omitted object of _EAt_ is interpreted as "something". > > > If you want "everything is not-eaten" then maybe: > > > > > > mi na citka roda > > > I not-eat each something > > > I don't eat everything > > > > That means "not everything is eaten by me; something is not > > eaten by me". > > To say everything is uneaten: mi citka ro da na ku, > > or {ro da zo`u mi na citka da}. > > I fail to understand the difference between {mi citka noda} and {mi > citka ro da na ku}. Can you explain that?-- They mean the same. --And.