Date:  Wed, 5 Nov 1997 14:18:15 -0500 (EST)
Message-Id: <199711051918.OAA20203@locke.ccil.org>
Reply-To: Lee Daniel Crocker <lee@piclab.com>
Sender: Lojban list <LOJBAN@CUVMB.BITNET>
From: "Lee Daniel Crocker (none)" <lcrocker@MERCURY.COLOSSUS.NET>
Organization: Piclab (http://www.piclab.com/)
Subject:      Re: 'your will' as sumti
X-To:         Lojban Group <lojban@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu>
To: John Cowan <cowan@LOCKE.CCIL.ORG>
In-Reply-To:  <199711051002.CAA17638@red.colossus.net> from "Ashley Yakeley" at
              Nov 5, 97 02:01:53 am
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X-From-Space-Date: Wed Nov  5 14:18:18 1997
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> As a first examination of Lojban, I'm trying to translate the Rabelaisian
> motto 'do what you will', but I'm stumbling on the rules for sumti.
>
> Apparently, <<le se mukti>> means 'those actions that are motivated', is
> that correct? But I want to also specify that they're _your_
> actions/motivations, as if to put <<do>> in x3 of mukti. How do I do
> this? Apparently <<le se mukti zo'e do>> doesn't do it.
>
> Do I need to use a relative clause here? I would then have <<ta poi se
> mukti zo'e do>> or <<ta poi zo'e muti ke'a do>>. But which of <<ti>>,
> <<ta>>, <<tu>> do I use? I can't point to these actions. Anyway, my best
> guess is <<ko gasnu ta poi se mukti zo'e do>>, which seems rather verbose.

Yes, I think {mukti} is the right word, but it is particularly
awkward because you want to fill places 2 & 3, but not 1, so even
single conversions like {termu'i} don't help.  But I don't think
a relative clause is needed; just {le se mukti be fi do ku},
which is no less verbose than you version, however.

Another way might be to use {zukte} "to act for a purpose" to
imply that motivation is in fact the purpose for your actions;
{ko zukte fi lenu do termu'i}