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Re: [lojban] "zo'e" = ("unimportant","obvious" and ?"unknown")

Opi,
 
I'm a newbie also but I'll try to answer your question, just to test my own understanding ;-)
 
A Lojban statement is semantically isomorphic to a mathematical predicate
 
f( x_1, ..., x_n)
 
where f is a selbri and the x_i are sumti
 
In this formalism using zo'e is basically equivalent to using a wild-card symbol for one of the x_i
 
For instance, the textbook example
 
mi vecnu zo'e zo'e le rupnu
 
("I sell something to someone for the dollar")
 
is semantically isomorphic to
 
vecnu( mi, *, *, le rupnu)
 
All zo'e does is to specify that these arguments are not specified.  The zo'e's are place-holders. 
 
The choice to use explicit zo'e's instead of rewording using other mechanisms is a matter of pragmatics, and emphasis.  To me, the above sentence reads emotionally something like
 
I sell SOMETHING to SOMEONE for a dollar
 
because the choice to include the zo'e's adds a certain emphasis to those unfilled arguments, an emphasis that is not present e.g. in the semantically isomorphic (and generally superior, I suppose) rephrasing
 
mi vecnu fo le rupnu
 
-- Ben G
 
----- Original Message -----
From: opi_lauma
Sent: Tuesday, March 22, 2005 7:00 AM
Subject: [lojban] "zo'e" = ("unimportant","obvious" and ?"unknown")


Hello,

I am new in this group. My name is Opi Lauma. Pleas help me to find
answer on my first question. I found that zo'e is unspecified value
(used when a sumti is unimportant or obvious). However "unimportant"
and "obvious" are different category. Is there a possibility to
emphasize whether sumti is "unimportant" or "obvious"? What I need to
do if sumti is "unknown", i.e. it is important and not obvious, but
"unknown". Can I use "zo'e" in this case? If not, what I need to use?

Thank you.





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