[lojban-beginners] Learn to speak Lojban?

[m.kornig@sondal.net]

Hello everybody,

I would like to know:

(1) How many people there are approximately who can
actually use Lojban for ORAL communication at
an A1 level or higher? None? 10? 100? Thousands?

(2) Is Lojban meant to be spoken (rather than written
or read) at all?

(3) Can I learn to SPEAK Lojban from the websites
currently provided? Has anyone ever succeeded to do
so?

(4) And if the answer to (3) is yes: how many hours
will it approximately take to achieve oral A1
proficiency in Lojban?

Cheers, Martin


About the A1 level:

I refer to the European frame of reference for
language skills (I guess equivalent levels are known
in the US and other English speaking countries?).
The interesting thing about this reference frame
is that it is meant to be kind of universal, i.e.
applicable to ANY language (so why not to Lojban?).
And, it does not focus on grammar...

There is an A0 level where you can produce/understand
isolated words (but not phrases or sentences). Things
like the numbers 0-10, the days of the week, colors or
words like "yes", "no", "perhaps", "thanks", "hello",
"sleep", "work", "old", "interesting", "want", "wow!",
"I", "you", "Goodbye!", "careful", "beer", "apple" etc.

To tell you the truth: my Lojban level is not even
A0 at the moment :-(

A1 is the next level. It includes A0 (of course) and it
requires that the speaker:

- can understand and use familiar everyday expressions
  and very basic phrases/sentences aimed at the
  satisfaction of needs of a concrete type.

  Examples of such expressions and phrases would be:

   "This way please."
   "I'd like a coffee please."
   "How are you?"
   "How much is that?"
   "It's a quater to three."
   "Can you repeat that, please?"
   "Today is Sunday."
   "I like swimming."
   "I don't drink alcohol."
   "Where are the toilets?"
   "When does the train leave?"
   "What's this?"
   "Sorry, I don't understand."
   "You are good-looking."
   "Don't go that way."
   "Sit down please."
   "Ladies and Gentlemen, ..."
   "I'd like chicken with rice, please."
   "Open the black box in the second drawer."
   "Can you give me a lift to ...?"
   "Sorry sir, smoking is not allowed here."
   "Can I use your phone?"
   "Are you cold?"
   "I shall need a doctor/go to hospital."
   "Let's meet in front of the library."
   "See you tomorrow."
   "Is it going to rain tomorrow?"
   "Not at all."
   "I don't think so."
   "What the hell do you mean?"

  It's NOT required to be able to tell/understand
  what happened in the past or might happen in the
  future. Nor to talk/understand about a dream, a
  complex project, an abstract concept, a condition
  for something to happen, etc.

- can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and
  answer questions about personal details such as where
  he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has.

  Examples would be:

   "What company do you work for?"
   "I'm in charge of ..."
   "Are you a hairdresser?"
   "My address is ..."
   "What are your hobbies/leisure activities?"
   "I'm 45."
   "How tall are you?"
   "I'm single."
   "What's your email address?"
   "I'm married and have three children."
   "Have you got a dog?"
   "I'd like to introduce you to ..."
   "Could you spell your surname, please?"
   "I live in ... near ..."
   "Do you speak any other languages?"
   "Do you know my boss, Mr. ...?"
   "I like travelling. But I've never been to Asia."
   "I don't have a driver's licence."
   "My wife's name is ..."
   "I love Markus."
   "Do you play football?"
   "Yes, I'm very fond of ..."

- can interact in a simple way provided the other
  person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared
  to help.

- and (of course) can do all this spontaneously without
  consulting any dictionaries, textbooks, notes, etc.