From ragnarok@pobox.com Tue Nov 13 03:56:50 2001 Return-Path: X-Sender: raganok@intrex.net X-Apparently-To: lojban@yahoogroups.com Received: (EGP: mail-8_0_0_1); 13 Nov 2001 11:56:50 -0000 Received: (qmail 13028 invoked from network); 13 Nov 2001 11:56:50 -0000 Received: from unknown (216.115.97.171) by m5.grp.snv.yahoo.com with QMQP; 13 Nov 2001 11:56:50 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO intrex.net) (209.42.192.250) by mta3.grp.snv.yahoo.com with SMTP; 13 Nov 2001 11:56:50 -0000 Received: from Craig [209.42.200.98] by intrex.net (SMTPD32-5.05) id AA8A30BF00AE; Tue, 13 Nov 2001 06:56:58 -0500 Reply-To: To: Subject: RE: [lojban] Why is there so much irregularity in cmavo/gismu? Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 06:56:52 -0500 Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2910.0) X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2314.1300 In-Reply-To: <9sqhtb+jqmh@eGroups.com> Importance: Normal X-eGroups-From: "Craig" From: "Craig" X-Yahoo-Profile: kreig_daniyl X-Yahoo-Message-Num: 12076 >It's one thing for English to have its quirks, but one competing to >replace it should be as regular as possible. Here's an obvious >example, with modals. >mukti=mu'i >mupli=mu'u >Why the irregularity? Maybe because someone decided to make a Hindi >word thousands of years ago that didn't jive with a Chinese one made >even earlier. Do you propose to make mu'i mean both, and thus be ambiguous? >As far as I'm concerned, all the cmavo, gismu, and rafsi should be >redone so they are much more systematic. For true cultural >nutrality, make them more or less random within a systematic >framework. The gismu are fine. It's the rafsi that need work. And while we're at it, can we get rid of selma'o? They are very misleading. the place structure of selma'o is x2 is the grammatical class containing particle x1 - meaning that by calling them both UI we put xu and .ui in the same grammar class. they play extremely different roles. .ui expresses a feeling. xu makes questions. Sounds the same to me! --la kreig.daniyl. 'segu le balvi temci gi mi'o renvi lo purci .i ga le fonxa janbe gi du mi' -la djimis.BYFet xy.sy. gubmau ckiku nacycme: 0x5C3A1E74