@Jonathan Jones:
I wasn't as clear as I could be. What I was trying to say is that an observational might be the best alternative for a tricky or comparatively specific (or possibly culturally specific) phrase.
Functionally, what is "being said" when someone says "Brr?" They're observing it's cold. Maybe they mean they want mittens or to go somewhere warmer, but we're pretty sure that at least they think it's cold.
Functionally, what is "being said" when someone says "Bless you?" They're observing you've sneezed.�Maybe they mean they are commanding you to be healthy, but we're pretty sure that at least they think you've sneezed.
That's my rationale for translating "Brr" as { lenku } and "Bless you" as { senci }, respectively.
On Tue, Mar 29, 2011 at 17:42, Jonathan Jones
<eyeonus@gmail.com> wrote:
In Chinese, you don't say anything in response to a sneeze.
bi'u
Before I really knew what 'bless you' and 'gesundheit' were really expressing (that i'm wishing they were healthier), I just thought it was a polite way of acknowledging a sneeze occured. Maybe one translation could be { senci } (Sneeze).
bi'unai
If a Chinese person hears { ko kanro }, I imagine they'd call malglico (or rather, malropno) foul.
I'm calling B.S. on that. Just because one culture doesn't have a practice doesn't make that practice mabla.
�
One similar situation might be for the english _expression_ "Brrr," for which (likewise) there is no Chinese equivalent. One translation of 'brr' into lojban that might make sense to a Chinese speaker is { lenku } (Cold).
Maybe, except that "Brrr...." isn't a bridi, it's an attitudinal. (Or at least, the English equivalent.)