Re: [lojban] commands

["Bob LeChevalier (lojbab)" <lojbab@lojban.org>]

At 12:22 PM 8/3/01 -0400, Craig wrote:
> On the Portland Pattern Repository's wiki, it was observed that there is no
> way to express an imperative in lojban without using ko. Ko has no plural,

ko is singular or plural depending on who is referred to. doi remei makes 
ko refer to two people.

> and so you can't say 'you all imperative' type constructions, a la
> 'Disperse, ye rebels, disperse!'

ko cliva doi fapro .i ko cliva

If the opposers are plural then the command is plural.

> Therefore, I have just proposed on the
> Lojban wiki a cmavo, xu'a, which would function like xu but make the bridi a
> command, allowing plural imperatives and statements like 'let's go.'

"lets go" has a different solution, either using ".e'u" for suggestion with 
a bridi, or if you want an assertive sense "doi mi'o ko cliva

> Clearly we need commands other than ko, which is actually rather limited.

Not really.

lojbab
--
lojbab lojbab@lojban.org
Bob LeChevalier, President, The Logical Language Group, Inc.
2904 Beau Lane, Fairfax VA 22031-1303 USA 703-385-0273
Artificial language Loglan/Lojban: http://www.lojban.org