[jbovlaste] Re: jbovlaste natlang word voting question

[skvenkat@tnq.co.in]

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-----Original Message-----
From: Robin Lee Powell <rlpowell@digitalkingdom.org>

Date: Sat, 12 May 2007 20:17:08 
To:jbovlaste@lojban.org, lojban-list@lojban.org
Subject: [jbovlaste] jbovlaste natlang word voting question



A jbovlaste question; if you don't care about how jbovlaste works or
is laid out, move along.

I'm pondering the nature of natlang word voting; look at
http://jbovlaste.lojban.org/natlang/en/computer%20program for
example (if anyone can suggest a better example, where "better" is
defined here as "more contention", please speak up).

I'm wondering if natlang word voting buys us anything.  I mean, a
Lojban word has only one meaning, so it's not Ok for the second
place of sampli to mean both "computer program" and "astronaut".  :)
But it *is* OK for "computer program" to map to both sampli and
samtci, as occurs on that page.  I don't see a lot of value to
preferring one over the other; maybe if they're both above water (a
positive vote value) we should have both in the dictionary?

What do you all think?

As a related philosophical issue, is it OK for the second place of
sampli to mean both "computer program" and "computer" (as is
currently the case)?  Why or why not?  I'm honestly not sure one way
or the other.

-Robin

-- 
http://www.digitalkingdom.org/~rlpowell/ *** http://www.lojban.org/
Reason #237 To Learn Lojban: "Homonyms: Their Grate!"
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