[lojban-beginners] Re: Complex Tense -> Sumti

[Jorge Llambías <jjllambias@gmail.com>]

On 11/22/05, Yanis Batura <ybatura@mail.ru> wrote:
> Lojban allows attaching multiple tenses to a selbri, producing quite
> complicated expressions.
>
> For example,
>
> mi puza vu ga'u ne'i ve'i klama
>
> means "Some time ago, I was walking in a distant place, above, within, for a
> short distance". That could be said to me by a man who had been walking
> thoughtfully in his house situated high in the mountains, and which had then
> descended to the valley where I was standing.

In theory, yes. In practice such forms have been very rarely used.
I don't know if that is because nobody is fluent enough to follow them
or because they are not really very useful for real communication.

> Generally, the string of cmavo puza vu ga'u ne'i ve'i has a certain idea
> that is then applied to selbri klama and modifying its meaning.
>
> So, is there a way to carry this idea painlessly to a sumti, in order to
> insert it as an abstract notion of space/time and other philosophical
> matters?
>
> For example, to use as x2 in ciksi:
>
> I explain you the idea of "in a distant place, above, within, for a short
> distance".

One way would be to do what you just did in English, use quotes:

  mi ciksi la'e lu vu ga'u ne'i ve'i li'u

> Or another one:
>
> The boss said: "I've lost my eyeglasses. Find them!"
>
> The subordinate answered: "I will! I will search for some time around here!"
>
> The boss said: "I don't like "for some time, around here"! I want
> "instantly, the whole area!""
>
>
> In this rather strained dialog the boss talks abstractly about searching
> characteristics which are in Lojban expressed as a complex tense. Is there a
> way to work it out?

You could use quotes, or go with some underlying brivla:
{mi djica tu'a lo cmatei je mulca'u}

mu'o mi'e xorxes