Date:  Wed, 10 Dec 1997 21:35:12 -0500 (EST)
Message-Id: <199712110235.VAA01990@locke.ccil.org>
Reply-To: JORGE JOAQUIN LLAMBIAS <jorge@INTERMEDIA.COM.AR>
Sender: Lojban list <LOJBAN@CUVMB.BITNET>
From: JORGE JOAQUIN LLAMBIAS <jorge@INTERMEDIA.COM.AR>
Subject:      Re: indirect Qs (was Re: On logji lojbo discussions)
X-To:         lojban <lojban@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu>
To: John Cowan <cowan@LOCKE.CCIL.ORG>
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Lojbab:
>> But I am not sure that "whether" is a
>> yes/no question.
And:
>Broadly, yes. Definitely if a tea-or-coffee question counts as a
>yes-no question.

I'd say it counts as two yes-no questions:

        i ta vasru lo tcati ji lo ckafi
        Does that contain tea or coffee?

There we want to know the answer to two questions:

        i xu ta vasru lo tcati
        Does that contain tea?

        i xu ta vasru lo ckafi
        Does that contain coffee?

The most helpful answers would be: {e}, {enai}, {na.e} or {na.enai},
which are the ones that answer both questions, corresponding to
"yes/yes", "yes/no", "no/yes" and "no/no". Other answers are
possible, but less informative.

co'o mi'e xorxes