Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 21:13:26 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <199711210213.VAA01485@locke.ccil.org> Reply-To: JORGE JOAQUIN LLAMBIAS Sender: Lojban list From: JORGE JOAQUIN LLAMBIAS Subject: Re: Indirect questions X-To: lojban To: John Cowan X-Mozilla-Status: 0011 Content-Length: 1379 X-From-Space-Date: Thu Nov 20 21:14:09 1997 X-From-Space-Address: LOJBAN@CUVMB.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU >> I would have said {xu do badri} means: repeat this >> statement replacing the question word so as to make it >> a true statement. The replacement for {xu} is in a first >> instance either {na} or {ja'a}, and ususally you will repeat >> by using {go'i}. > >I know you think this, and I don't think it incorrect, but I >do think it an unnecessarily metalinguistic characterization >of the meaning of questions. But isn't your characterization just as metalinguistic? You're replacing one metalinguism (xu) with another (ko). > I think the answer to a question (a piece of text = an >act by a speaker) is either an act of supplying information, or a >piece of information. We seem to agree on this, but not on >whether either kind of answer can be x2 of djuno. I'm not sure whether you're saying that a piece of text is an act. By an act, do you mean a {nu}? Do you mean something like: le nu mi cusku lu go'i li'u cu danfu lu xu do badri li'u My saying "I am" is an answer to "Are you sad?". Or do you mean: le mi se cusku cu danfu lu xu do badri li'u What I said is an answer to "Are you sad?". >> >And {xu do badri} would >> >be equivalent to something like {gau ko mi djuno le du`u >> >xu kau do badri}. But if you are willing to use {ko} and {xukau}, why not just: {ko cusku le sedu'u xukau do badri} = "Say whether you're sad". co'o mi'e xorxes