On Sun, Oct 02, 2005 at 09:16:58PM +0100, lojban@solipsys.co.uk
wrote:
>
> >> For someone who basically left the lojban project 8 years or
> >> more ago because of this type of bickering
>
> > I'm curious to know, who are you?
>
> Charles Babbage, in his essay "Decline of Science in England"
> wrote
>
> " If a fact is to be established by testimony, anonymous
> assertion is of no value; if it can be proved, by evidence to
> which the public have access, it is of no consequence (for the
> cause of truth) who produces it. A matter of opinion derives
> weight from the name which is attached to it; but a chain of
> reasoning is equally conclusive, whoever may be its author. "
Is that relevant in some way? He didn't say "I won't care what you
say until you prove you're worthy to say it", he simply said he was
curious.
Right. I don't know what topic of dispute this are referring to, or the
speaker's position is on it. I just want to be polite by speaking to
him/her by a name. Since he/she has declined the courtesy of being
allowed to choose his/her own name, I christen him/her "Solypsis" after
the e-mail address.
> > I guess back then people joined up in order to have the kind of
> > conversation John and xorxes are having.
>
> I think that is untrue. I personally know 3 people who, after an
> initial _expression_ of interest in the language, cited these
> exchanges - I can't call them discussions - as their reason for
> giving up.
>
> It was the only reason ever given.
What was their issue with the exchanges? Did these exchanges convince
them that Lojban is seriously incomplete and does not acheive its
goals? Or, did they feel continuing in the Lojban community would
constantly expose them to unpleasant disputes, or to matters over their
heads that they don't care about? Or is it some other thing?
> > So, do you know what the semantics of {lo} are? Can you explain it to me?
> > What is the difference between {lo tavla} and {le tavla}?
If I understand correctly (and I am not at all convinced that I do),
one is to use {lo samxa'a} if you are to say "In the year
nineteen-such-and-such e-mail was created by so-and-so" in the sense
that they invented e-mail and gave it to the world; and one is to use
{le samxa'a} to say "right now I create e-mail and send it to
Solypsis." If I'm wrong I'm sure someone will correct me; I don't claim
any point of view or a claim about how it ought to be. I'm just
reporting my interpretation of what I've read. If I'm speaking Lojban
wrong, that's OK, I'll figure it out eventually.
> > It is leaving the stage where the project is to develop the
> > language, and entering the stage where the project is to spread
> > the language and accumulate a huge corpus of texts.
>
> And I am extemely pleased to see it doing so. However, whence
> cometh the texts aimed at beginners, with easy grammar and easy
> vocabulary? Your podcasts are superb, but horror novels using
> even mildly complex grammar and large vocabularies are not
> effective texts for beginners.
I think my ongoing translation of Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet is
mostly simple grammar, with some exceptions. The upcoming web comic by
me and .xiliodor. will be extremely simple.