From arosta@uclan.ac.uk Tue Aug 21 10:19:22 2001 Return-Path: X-Sender: arosta@uclan.ac.uk X-Apparently-To: lojban@yahoogroups.com Received: (EGP: mail-7_3_1); 21 Aug 2001 17:19:21 -0000 Received: (qmail 92572 invoked from network); 21 Aug 2001 17:12:05 -0000 Received: from unknown (10.1.10.142) by l7.egroups.com with QMQP; 21 Aug 2001 17:12:05 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO com1.uclan.ac.uk) (193.61.255.3) by mta3 with SMTP; 21 Aug 2001 17:12:04 -0000 Received: from gwise-gw1.uclan.ac.uk by com1.uclan.ac.uk with SMTP (Mailer); Tue, 21 Aug 2001 17:50:45 +0100 Received: from DI1-Message_Server by gwise-gw1.uclan.ac.uk with Novell_GroupWise; Tue, 21 Aug 2001 18:17:35 +0100 Message-Id: X-Mailer: Novell GroupWise 5.5.2 Date: Tue, 21 Aug 2001 18:17:24 +0100 To: lojban Subject: Re: [lojban] Retraction, Part 1 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Disposition: inline From: And Rosta X-Yahoo-Message-Num: 9861 >>> John Cowan 08/21/01 04:53pm >>> #And Rosta wrote: #> I must admit I haven't come across an exposition of the iota operator #> such that I have understood exactly what it is. # #It is +veridical -definite -specific +singular: \iota x p(x) =3D "the one #x such that p(x) is true (or nothing if there is no such x)". Thanks.=20 So in fact this defines cases where +/-specific (and hence +/-definite)=20 is a noncontrastive distinction. It is in exactly these cases that I have (on Jorge's suggestion) been experimenting with using {tu'o} as a quantifier. Maybe my noises on this topic would have been better received if I'd been calling for a "iota operator"! #Russell's example: \iota x (x wrote _Waverly_) means "the (unique) #author of _Waverly_" and refers to Walter Scott. Strictly speaking I wouldn't use {tu'o} here, because the referent of {x: x wrote _Waverly_} can vary across possible worlds. #Typographical note: the iota is rotated 180 degrees. I am always delighted to learn a new item of typological pedantry, that I in turn can inflict it on others. --And. --=20 Not to perambulate || John Cowan the corridors || http://www.reutershealth.com=20 during the hours of repose || http://www.ccil.org/~cowan=20 in the boots of ascension. \\ Sign in Austrian ski-resort hotel