[lojban-beginners] Hello from a new lojban learner

[Mitch Tishmack <idylls@gmail.com>]

Just thought I would take the time to say hello to everyone on the  
list. In addition I will let you all know the reason I am learning  
lojban. Be forewarned, this is somewhat long.

I am just beginning my trek through this language. My reasons for  
learning lojban are somewhat odd. I was/still am in the process of  
creating an application that would help me in my trek to learn French  
and German (amongst others in the future). I had a huge problem  
trying to work one specific behaviour into the application. I wanted  
to enter text in all 3 languages and get quizzed on all 3, ie enter  
la chien, der Hund, and dog and have all possible combinations  
between the three (or more) languages get asked.

Using English made my brain hurt. I ended up with a many to one and  
one to many relationship graph which made things overly complex.  
Quick, what is a bow? So once I realised English is the wrong  
language for the relationship between words, I looked for a better  
solution.

After throwing out the idea of common, random, and unique strings  
linking each word in each language, I managed to stumble upon lojban.  
Lojban appears to have the single attribute my program requires for  
simplicity. Words don't have more than one meaning. I plan to use  
lojban as my glue language between the languages I am learning. So I  
will link words in different languages via lojban.

To elaborate on the previous example, use gerku as the meaning of la  
chien, der Hund, and dog. This enables me to look for links from  
gerku to other languages and easily build lists of words to ask. If  
any fellow programmers have a better idea on how they would implement  
this I am more than happy to listen to them.

Sorry for the length, but you will all hear more about this pet  
project of mine and, more likely, questions  on proper lojban use. I  
can already tell lojban is a different beast than any language I have  
seen.

I do plan to open source the program when it is actually in a useable  
state. But I have much to learn. Linguistic stuff is only my new- 
found hobby. I am just learning languages for fun. As Charles  
Baudelaire said: "Manier savamment une langue, c'est pratiquer une  
espèce de sorcellerie évocatoire." (To handle a language skillfully  
is to practice a kind of evocative sorcery.)

Since my lojban skills are non existent, what would the above quote  
look like in lojban? That way I can pick apart the grammar of  
something I know.

Mitch