[lojban-beginners] Re: Questions (literally)

[Scott <scottr@synthiotics.com>]

> > 7)  What hobbies do you have?
> > This one completely stumped me.  My dictionary doesn't contain any word
> > for "hobby".  I tried coming up with tanru for "fun activities", but
> > could not find any word for "fun".
>
> Maybe: {do zukte ma lo nu se zdile}?

That is good, although not a sentence I would have been able to construct.  It 
is useful to me to see these translations, since I can then gain a fuller 
understanding of how certain words could be used.  I would not have 
understood the use of "zukte" without an example like this, as I find its 
dictionary definition rather impenetrable without example (although finally 
understandable after thinking about it a bit).

> > 8)  What is your favorite food?
> >        .i do zanfri ma cidja
>
> Maybe {lo mo cidja cu pukrai do} "What kind of food most-pleases you?"

Excellent.  Exactly what I meant.

> > 9)  Ginger or MaryAnn?
> >        .i xu do nelci la .djendjr .onai la .meri,an.
> > It's ungrammatical in English, and only readily understandable to an
> > older portion of American males anyway.  But I thought I'd throw it in
> > there.  At least I attempted to make it grammatical in lojban.
>
> I wouldn't say it's ungrammatical in English just because it's not a
> complete sentence. "Ginger the by MaryAnn" would be ungrammatical.
> Similarly in Lojban {la djenydjr ji la merian} is not ungrammatical, even
> if it is not a full
> bridi. (The consonant group "ndj" is not allowed by the Lojban
> phonotactics.) 

I guess I didn't mean ungrammatical so much as I meant incomplete.  I've been 
figuratively slapped enough by grammar teachers in my younger days for coming 
up with incomplete sentences to be... wary.  :-)

> Many (most?) American TV shows are well known outside the 
> US, and why wouldn't females understand it?

LOL.  Point taken.  I do know that for male members of my generation the 
question is readily understood as stated, and no further explanation is ever 
necessary.  But perhaps it is incorrect to assume that it would not be as 
readily understood by members of another generation or gender.

> And I'm not old!  ;) 

That, I cannot address.  I will take your word for it!  lol!

mu'o mi'e la skat.