Date:         Thu, 20 Aug 1998 15:42:26 -0500
Reply-To:     Brendan Van Horn <BrendanV@MICROGRAFX.COM>
Sender:       Lojban list <LOJBAN@CUVMB.BITNET>
From:         Brendan Van Horn <BrendanV@MICROGRAFX.COM>
Subject:      A First Words in Lojban
To:           Multiple recipients of list LOJBAN <LOJBAN@CUVMB.BITNET>
Message-ID: <903646379.1112260.0@listserv.cuny.edu>
Content-Length: 1950
Lines: 49


I have just started learning Lojban.  And so for a first foray I am trying
to translate the following:

Hello.  My name is Brendan.

After reading the grammar.txt that came inside an archive with introductory
text I have come up with the following:

mi rinsa do mi cmene Brendan do

Hello:
        mi rinsa do - Which seems pretty formal.  So it could be changed to
"mi rinsa z'oe" not much less formal.  My next guess is that the last sumti
can be removed because "you" should be obvious.  In the same vein "mi" is
not really necessary because I'm saying hello.  I wouldn't say "I say
Hello."  So I end up with "rinsa".  Am I even close?

My name is Brendan:
        mi cmene Brendan do - Again I feel that the last sumti is not really
necessary here.  While I can see a case for dropping the initial sumti I
don't think that is correct.  I wouldn't say "Name Brendan," but "My name is
Brendan."  So this one ends up being "mi cmene Brendan".  How is that?

Hello.  My name is Brendan:
        rinsa mi cmene Brendan - Hmmm...  Perhaps this is the specter of my
English teacher mother guiding me but as a neophyte in Lojban I don't see a
clear break between the first sentence and the next.  Perhaps it should be
"rinsa vau mi cmene Brendan".

Also, could someone help me translate my signature into Lojban?  In English
it means:  I have a catapult.  Give me all your money or I will throw a big
rock at your head.

Well, lunch hour is almost over and I've got to get back to cranking out
code.

Thanks!

--
Catapultam habeo.  Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum
immane mittam.