Re: [lojban] what about rodents?

[Pierre Abbat <phma@phma.optus.nu>]

On Friday, February 10, 2012 09:46:47 Paul Predkiewicz wrote:
> coi,
> im wondering, why in the gismus there are mice, rats and rabbits but
> not rodents in general? How would i for example refer to a beaver, a
> porcupine or a squirrel? These are all rodents and not of the
> superfamily muroidea. A hamster belongs to muroidea so there is no
> real problem. But what about the others?

I think that the gismu assigners went by what words are found in many 
languages rather than trying to distribute words well over the taxa. 
Similarly, we have gismu for duck, goose, chicken, and turkey, all of which 
are Galloanseres, but none for any other bird order, including the largest, 
Passeriformes (unless you count the experimental gismu "korvo"). And there are 
no gismu for species or kinds of fish.

beaver = mudyractu
porcupine = jesyractu
squirrel = ricyractu
hamster = kriceto
guinea pig = smacrkobaiu
chinchilla = tcincila

"jesymabru" can refer to the hedgehog or spiny anteater; it does not designate 
a taxon. Rabbits aren't rodents; they differ in having small second incisors, 
whereas rodents have only first incisors.

Pierre
-- 
I believe in Yellow when I'm in Sweden and in Black when I'm in Wales.

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