[lojban-beginners] Re: lei and loi

[Pierre Abbat <phma@phma.optus.nu>]

On Thursday 13 September 2007 06:42, Isen hand wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I?m slowly working my way through ?lojban for Beginners? and
> I have a question about lei and loi from page 34. From what I have
> understood you use lei and loi for groups with out specifying the number.
> That fits in with the example given of ?loi nanmu cu bevri le pipno? but
> then the next example ?lei pano ninmu cu cinba mi? has a number in it. From
> my understanding it should be ?lei ninmu cu cinba mi?. Have I
> misunderstood?

{lei} and {loi} mark the sumti as a mass. It can have a number in it. Suppose 
that Bob and Jim are a surveying team, and call them {le re nanmu}. {lei re 
nanmu cu merli le tumla} could mean that Bob worked the total station and Jim 
walked around with a prism to the lot corners. But if le re nanmu cu merli le 
tumla, either they're both using robots, or Bob hooked a tape at one corner, 
pulled it to the other corner, and read it, then Jim hooked a tape and read 
it at the other corner. So each by himself measured the land, rather than the 
two together doing it.

Pierre