[lojban-beginners] Re: Dots and spaces (was: Logical connectives)

["Jorge Llambías" <jjllambias@gmail.com>]

On 6/17/07, Karl Naylor <karl.org@gmail.com> wrote:
> I've noticed several experienced Lojbanists omit all dots, which
> doesn't seem to be discussed in the Reference Grammar or the
> beginners' course, but makes sense since the reader knows where they
> need to go anyway.

Reference Grammar Ch.3, Sect.3:
"Technically, the period is an optional reminder to the reader of a mandatory
pause that is dictated by the rules of the language; because these rules are
unambiguous, a missing period can be inferred from otherwise correct text.
Periods are included only as an aid to the reader."

> As long as there are spaces before any word with
> an initial vowel and after all cmevla (I think), it's unambiguous.

Also pauses are required before any cmevla that is not preceded by
la, lai, la'i or doi (for example {coi .xorxes} or {mi'e .xorxes} require
pauses before the cmevla), after BY cmavo (except in special cases),
after the opening ZOI-delimiter and before the closing ZOI-delimiter, and
after a finally stressed cmavo that is followed by a brivla. But it is
always predictable where they are required, so the dots are not strictly
needed for unambiguity.

> This raises a point I've been interested by for a while, though: I've
> don't remember seeing any discussion at all in the RG or LFB of
> spaces.

I think the rules are there in the Reference Grammar, at least implicitly,
but perhaps they are not clearly summarized in one place.

They are simple:

1- Spaces are never allowed in the middle of a word.
2- Spaces are always optional between any two words.
3- If a space is not used where a pause is obligatory, a dot must be
used to indicate the pause.
4- If a space is not used right after a brivla, then the stress of that brivla
must be marked by some other means (such as capitalization).

That's all there is to spaces. (1) and (2) are pretty obvious, and (4) is easy
if you know what a brivla is. To know how to apply 3 you need to know
where a pause is obligatory in speech, and that's as discussed above,
pauses are obligatory:

(a) before vowel-initial words,
(b) after BY cmavo,
(c) before and after cmevla,
(d) between ZOI delimiters and foreign text.
(e) after a cmavo with final stress and followed by a brivla.

mu'o mi'e xorxes