Re: [jboske] mei, latest cause celebre

[Robert LeChevalier <lojbab@lojban.org>]

At 02:20 AM 12/23/02 +1100, Nick Nicholas wrote:
> My contention that {mei} means 'collective' should be easily proven by
> usage, btw.
>
> Does anyone ever use {remei} when {pamei} would also be true? If so,
> mass. If not, collective.
>
> Does anyone ever use {remei} when {pisu'omei} would also be true? If
> so, substance. If not, collective.

I use remei to refer to the mass of two without worrying about whether 
pamei is true. Some classic translations of remei would include "couple" 
and "duet". When a couple does things, they aren't necessarily both doing 
it at once, but at least one of them does it. When a duet plays or sings, 
there are times when only one instrument is playing (or voice is singing) 
while at other times there are two. But I can say that the duet is singing 
when only one voice is being heard, and be telling the truth.

> And that's built in to our treatment of numbers anyway, right? Because
> we've passed law that {re} is always {su'ore}.

Since when?

lo jubme cu tuple voda
A table is belegged by EXACTLY 4 somethings,

is the classic Loglan/Lojban way to say that a table has 4 legs. We don't 
mean that a table has at least 4 legs (which is what su'ovo would mean).

lojbab

--
lojbab lojbab@lojban.org
Bob LeChevalier, President, The Logical Language Group, Inc.
2904 Beau Lane, Fairfax VA 22031-1303 USA 703-385-0273
Artificial language Loglan/Lojban: http://www.lojban.org