Re: [lojban] Re: railgun

[Robin Lee Powell <rlpowell@digitalkingdom.org>]

On Tue, May 24, 2005 at 07:11:40PM -0500, Chris Capel wrote:
> On 5/24/05, Robin Lee Powell <rlpowell@digitalkingdom.org> wrote:
> > On Tue, May 24, 2005 at 06:26:26PM -0500, Chris Capel wrote:
> > > Even if you needed to refer to this particular type of gun two
> > > or three dozen times in a story, couldn't you just begin with
> > > {celxa'i poi cecla lo jimne lo xukmi}
> > 
> > My problem with celxa'i, which I did consider, is that it
> > includes rocket launchers, bows & arrows, slings, and on and on
> > and on.
> 
> But if you think about it, English "gun" includes things like
> electron guns and staple guns. 

If I want English, I know where to find it.

> So celxa'i isn't really all that much broader.

celxa'i is a great word for "projectile weapon" (which, I would like
to point out, is exactly the same number of syllables as
xumjimcelxa'i).  It is *not* the right word for gun, though, because
if it's defined as gun that means I can't use it in a context where
it is clear that crossbows are what is being used.

-Robin

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