[lojban-beginners] Re: Firefox Add-on: Lojban Popup Dictionary

["Vid Sintef" <picos.picos@gmail.com>]

On 7/30/07, Charles Duffy <cduffy@spamcop.net> wrote:
> I don't see why some simple associative lookup tables wouldn't be adequate as-is.

The thing is that if the learners are favored with such a direct popup
dictionary in an ordinary environment (the experience of Firefox
browsing), they will be motivated in a greater degree to get with
Lojban texts. I'm talking about the process of reading/working on
articles written in Lojban, not about the practice of merely
memorizing the itemized definitions of gismu or cmavo etc. (which can
be done with a copy of a spreadsheet). What's more, if we consider the
advocated effect of "implicit learning", such a tool should have a
certain significance as a learning device.

I won't say such a making of a Firefox add-on should be of the highest
priority among other activities of the community, but nonetheless it
*will* be a tool of sophistication highly convenient for learning the
language. And again a great motivation too. I've been using an add-on
called "FoxLingo", which can translate about 30 languages, and I'm
often motivated to have a play with it go reading some materials
written in a language I don't speak. Also, imagine someone who has
never heard about Lojban and find an add-on called "Lojban popup
dictionary" (or "jbopipvla"?) when looking for some stuff for
translation on that popular Firefox's homepage; he/she might say "What
the hell is Lojban?" and go find out what the hell it is on Wiki or
Lojban.org etc. At least that might help promote the name "Lojban".