Re: [lojban-beginners] "Not always"

[Michael Turniansky <mturniansky@gmail.com>]

On Wed, Jan 5, 2011 at 1:52 PM, Alex Rozenshteyn <rpglover64@gmail.com> wrote:
> They don't always obey their parents.
> {ko'a roroi tinbe fi lo rirni be ko'a} or {ko'a roroi tinbe fi lo ko'a
> rinri} would be "They always obey their parents." and I think the first
> would be preferred.
> {ko'a na roroi tinbe fi lo rirni be ko'a} seems to me that it doesn't carry
> the implication of the original English statement that "they" sometimes, and
> maybe even usually obey their parents, but there exist exceptional
> occasions.

  If that is indeed the implication of the original English.  But if
it was, I would say the English should be "They usually obey their
parents", In which case you would use "...so'i/so'e roi tinbe".  But
in fact, I think you have exctly captured the original. Because the
English can certainly mena they NEVER do.


> Would using {na'e} instead of {na} carry such an implication?

  No, no, no.  That would be "They always don't obey their parents",
absolutely NOT what you want to say.

> Would it be malgli to try to translate the implication into lojban?

  No, if you ebelive the implication to be valid. I don't.  See above

> Would it be better to move the negative and translate "They sometimes
> [other-than]-obey their parents."?

If that's what you want to say, yes.

> Additionally, how would one correctly convey the plurality of {ko'a} in this
> case?

  Personally, I don't think that's necessary.  Since "they" requires
an antecedent as surely as "ko'a" does, you would have to perforce
have the context to know it was plural already.
         --gejyspa

-- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Lojban Beginners" group.
To post to this group, send email to lojban-beginners@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to lojban-beginners+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/lojban-beginners?hl=en.