| Short semi-technical lecture anyhow.
In the langauges I know, processes tend to fade into activities by generalization (writes a book/writes books) and into achievements at the initiative and completive aspects (initiative more likely with activities, actually). Lojban adds the possibility of bringing the state in, since it does not distinguish lexically between "is writing" and "is a writer." So, pu le nu mi ciska "Before I write" is ambiguous among at least the following, some of which probably make a difference: pu le mu'e mi ciska "before I wrote" (which itself is ambiguous between "first wrote" and "finished writing [it]") pu le pu'u mi ciska "before I was writing [it]" pu le zu'o mi ciska "before I was writing" pu le za'i mi ciska "before I was a writer" The distinction could probably be made in other ways with just {nu} but the additions would then become obligatory for that meaning. le ka le skani cu blanu is a property of space time areas, at least. |