[lojban-beginners] Re: lujvo into fu'ivla

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

On Friday 10 April 2009 20:38:15 A. PIEKARSKI wrote:
> I didn't know you can convert lujvo into fu'ivla. Can you refer me to
> where that is described? I couldn't find it in CLL.

It's not described anywhere that I know of, and I don't think it warrants 
doing unless either the components of the lujvo don't match the meaning at 
all, or the word is too common for the length of the lujvo, or you're 
translating an acronym (which implies that in the language the acronym was 
made in, it was too common for the length of the phrase). Just being short in 
English isn't enough. Languages vary greatly in the length of the word for 
particular concepts; for instance, the Greek for the short word "skill" is 
the heptasyllabic "ÎÏÎÏÎÎÎÎÎÏÎÏÎ".

I've made up "vonpaso" (which is not formed from a lujvo, but it does have 
nothing to do with the number 419, except as an entry in a Nigerian law book) 
and a few translations of acronyms which I forget. I don't think 
that "matryrelxilma'e" warrants shortening like this. It would be useful, 
though, to distinguish between a motorcycle, a moped, and a motorized 
bicycle.

Pierre