Re: [lojban] signs and seasons and days and years

[Edward Cherlin <edward.cherlin.sy.67@aya.yale.edu>]

On Monday 28 January 2002 11:31 pm, Pierre Abbat wrote:
> Genesis 1:14 currently reads as follows (I've made some changes and
> not committed them yet):
> ni'o la cevni cu bacru lu .e'o tergusni tu'i le tsani sligu .ibo
> sepri'a .e'o lo'e donri lo'e nicte .ije sinxa ce cabysni ce djesni
> ce nacysni The last bridi is all wrong, but I'm not sure how to put
> it right. * {ce} is wrong, as Adam points out.
> * {cabna} should be {citsi}.
> * zoi ry. nac .ry rafsi zo namcu .enai zo nanca.
> * The Hebrew says "whayu l'otot ulmo`adim ulyamim ulshanim". I'm
> not sure how to handle the "l"s. The stars aren't seasons, days, or
> years; they are "for" seasons etc. 

I prefer a translation by intent (if possible) rather than by word. 
This means finding something that would be said or written in a 
similar situation using the target language. In English we might say, 
"Let them mark the seasons..." or "Let them indicate the seasons..."

> Apparently they aren't signs
> either, they are for signs. What does this mean?

The next verse continues "whayu lmorot..." "And let them be for 
lights..." where they clearly are lights. So if they are for signs, 
they can be signs, even though that doesn't work for periods of time. 
You lose the grammatical parallel of the Hebrew if you say "And let 
them be signs of the seasons...", but the meaning is clear.

I don't know enough Lojban yet to comment on your proposed text.

> phma

-- 

Edward Cherlin
edward@webforhumans.com
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