Re: [lojban] World-historical and religious figures in Lojban

[pycyn@aol.com]

The official line remains (for those who cannot choose their own) the native 
language as near as we can make it. And then there has been some debate 
about what constitutes "near" -- whether close sounds with lost of native 
contrasts is better than keeping native contrasts but using more remote 
sounds (Chinese n, ng => n or 
ng => n, n => m). There is the further question of then and now -- should we 
try to get the way the ancient person would have said it or the way it is 
said at his home now. God (well, Karlgren) only knows what K'ung Ch'iu 
called himself or how he would have pronounced his honorific "master 
teacher". Lojban has, I think, settled this one for the modern version 
kunfudz (but I expect to hear from aulun and ivan to the contrary instanter). 
As for Caesar, since we know pretty well how he would have said it and this 
knnowledge is pretty widely disseminated, I suspect we go with iulius 
kaisar. Having just read a novel in which Jesus appears in Aramaic, Greek, 
Latin and both P- and Q-Celtic, I find that harder, but come down on balance 
for iecuys.
Yes, it remains a problem, to be solved, I think, case by case.
tcilifudz (I made that last bit up myself)