Lesson 1 Goals

By the end of this lesson, you will have learned:

- the basics of Lojban pronunciation
- how to write Lojban, including special conventions used for Lojban text, and for Lojban pronunciation guides in this book and elsewhere;
- how to tell the three types of Lojban words apart;
- how to Lojbanize a name from English and write it in Lojban;
- how to form a basic Lojban sentence;
- how to express and recognize simple commands (imperatives);
- approximately 140 words of vocabulary.

During the first two lessons, the emphasis is on learning pronunciation rules, the basics of morphology, and the nature of a predicate grammar. Concentrate on vocabulary learning technique, whether by flash cards, LogFlash, or other method. You can make some simple sentences with what you learn in Lesson 1, although Lesson 2 gives considerably more detail on the basic conceptsbeing discussed.

Lesson 2 Goals

By the end of this lesson, you will have learned:

- how Lojban bridi differ from English sentences;
- why Lojban bridi are always incomplete sentences;
- how to effectively use bridi place structures to communicate;
- the wide variety of possible sumti;
- how to express emotions in Lojban;
- an additional 100 words of vocabulary.

When this lesson is complete, you will be able to make a wide variety of simple Lojban sentences. You will not be expected to do so spontaneously; emphasis will be on writing sentences first, then saying them. Feel free to look up words, write down a bridi'template' to be filled in with sumti, then fill in the missing information. Your vocabulary is still limited; you can best make up sentences by choosing a brivla, and then trying to see what can be done with its places.

Lesson 3 Goals

By the end of this lesson, you will have learned:

- the Lojban numerals and how to use them to express numbers;
- how to use numbers to quantify descriptions;
- how to ask number questions (how many);
- how to ask and express time of day in Lojban;
- how to ask yes and no questions in Lojban;
- how to abstract events, properties, and amounts from bridi;
- how to use abstracts in sumti;
- another 100 words of vocabulary.

By the end of this lesson, you should understand the concept of a Lojban predicate, and be able to make up simple sentences without too much trouble, given time to look up words and organize your thoughts on paper. As yet, the sentences you produce need not be connected together.

Simple dialogs have been presented before this lesson as examples of the language. In this lesson, the dialogs become more complex. This lesson also has a first 'story' in Lojban - a block of text of about half a page. The intent is that you get a feel for what reading (and eventually writing) Lojban as a connected stream of communication will be like.

Lesson 4 Goals

By the end of this lesson, you will have learned:

- the essential nature of tanru, and their role in the language;
- how to choose tanru, based on your desired meaning;
- how to interpret tanru, and how to compensate for misinterpretation;
- how to express simple right-grouping in tanru;
- how to express simple tense and location in Lojban;
- another 100 vocabulary words.

Using tanru, there will be an increased emphasis on creative expression, on using words in different ways than we are used to in English.

We will discuss elision as a concept, and go into more depth on when you can leave certain elidable words out, addressing the concept of syntactic ambiguity.

By the end of this lesson, you will have sufficient grammar to express an enormous range of individual sentences. You should be becoming confident in your ability to do so on your own, given time to think and look up uncertain vocabulary. There has been no particular effort to encourage or force spontaneous expression in Lojban. There has been effort to develop good pronunciation and listening skills, especially in pattern-based exercises of simple and repetitive nature. These have involved a limited expression in Lojban, but always from a specific example.

After this lesson, you will be able to express enough ideas to allow sentences to be connected together. We will encourage each student to keep a 'diary', in which you will write, preferably daily, some small amount of Lojban text. In some courses, the instructor will then look over and respond to your writings in Lojban, allowing a written dialog to take place, giving you feedback on whether you have communicated what you intended.

Lesson 5 Goals

By the end of this lesson, you will have learned:

- how to build tensed and located descriptions;
- some of the problems with le, and how they are solved;
- express mass concepts in Lojban;
- how to provide information about sumti with relative clauses;
- Lojban possessives;
- another 100 vocabulary words.

By the end of this lesson, you should be comfortable expressing sentences in Lojban, and we will work on connecting sentences together. You will have your first composition assignment - to write a short description of yourself in Lojban, as an introduction to your fellow students.

Lesson 6 Goals

By the end of this lesson, you will have learned:

- how to effectively use the system of pro-sumti;
- how to express distance in time and location;
- how to specify the sumti places for non-abstract description bridi;
- how to reorder sumti, or to skip them without zo'e;
- the choice between restrictive and non-restrictive relative clauses;
- how Lojban expresses causality;
- another 100 vocabulary words.

Your confidence in your expressive skills should have grown to the point that you can write a short narrative on a topic of your choice. These narratives are still being written on your own time, with no pressure for spontaneous expression.

Lesson 7 Goals

By the end of this lesson, you will have learned:

- how to use logical connectives to express more complex bridiand sumti;
- the remaining kinds of abstractions;
- how to use numbers as the basis for brivla;
- the basic concept of lujvo, recognizing and pronouncing them, and guessing their place structures;
- another 100 vocabulary words.

Another assigned composition will ask you to express using an expositional writing style. Emphasis will be on expressing the various types of causality.

Lesson 8 Goals

By the end of this lesson, you will have learned:

- how to build lujvo using the lujvo-making algorithm and rafsi;
- how to express negation of various Lojban constructs;
- intensional and extensional tenses (like 'Once upon a time', and 'Usually');
- how to use modal operators to 'add' sumti to the place structure;
- another 100 vocabulary words.

We will work on the linguistic basis of pronunciation in order to give you a basic understanding of why certain sounds are allowed in permissible initials and medials, as an alternative to memorizing them. Some discussion of how to use the linguistic pronunciation technique for learning other languages may be included if the class desires.

The assigned composition will emphasize use of lujvo.

Lesson 9 Goals

By the end of this lesson, you will have learned:

- how to recognize '*tosmabru' problems in lujvo;
- picking the best lujvo for your purpose;
- making lujvo 'on the fly';
- the complete systems of Lojban descriptors;
- additional attitudinals, and expressing attitudinal strength;
- discursive operators, and how they comment on the discussion;
- the last 100 words of the core vocabulary set.

If you have kept up with vocabulary development, you will have been exposed to 900 words using flash cards or LogFlash. If you are ahead, you will have goneinto maintenance mode on these words. This is when you will really learn them. The remaining words will be provided and discussed as part of lesson vocabulary so that you know their intended meanings and/or usage, but will not be emphasized as something to be learned before the end of the class. When you reach 90% recall of the core vocabulary, you are urged to add the additional words into your New Word pile and work them up at a convenient pace. Then, when all of the words are known at the 90% level, you may choose to start learning rafsi. Do not presume that you truly know the words, however, until you can recall any word with 98% accuracy.

The assigned composition this week will emphasize the expression of emotions using attitudinal indicators.

Lesson 10 Goals

By the end of this lesson, you will have learned:

- the complete set of vocative markers, and how they are used;
- expressing logical connectives in sentences;
- expressing logical connectives in tanru and lujvo;
- forethought expression of logical connectives: letting the listener know what is coming;
- how to express Lojban words as names;
- the complete system of expressing tanru grouping.

The assigned composition will emphasize use of logical connectives, and the expressing of 'rational argument'.

This concludes the first half of the class. You now know the basics of Lojban grammar needed for even sophisticated expression of ideas, and should be fairly comfortable with expressing those ideas given time to think and look up unfamiliar words.

You may have started spontaneously speaking Lojban in conversation with other students, but this has not been part of an organized activity.

In the second half of the course, the emphasis will be on oral expression, and on getting comfortable with using Lojban spontaneously. There will still be written exercises, but a significant portion of each lesson will be devoted to in class conversational examples and exercises.

Lesson 11 Goals

By the end of this lesson, you will have learned:

- the complete system of discursives;
- metalinguistic reference in general;
- indirect reference with "la'e" and "lu'e";
- forethought causal connection;
- the basic concepts of le'avla;
- what the "Slinku'i" test is, and how and why to avoid it.

The conversational emphasis will be on telephone conversation and protocol, including use of vocatives and demonstratives.

The assigned composition will emphasize use of discursives.

Lesson 12 Goals

By the end of this lesson, you will have learned:

- how to describe sets as collections or intervals;
- how to use non-logical connectives;
- the basics of the tense system:
- reviewing previous discussion of tense and location;
- actual and potential tenses;
- areas and regions.

There will be continued emphasis on conversational skills, based on the class's level of proficiency.

The assigned composition will emphasize use of le'avla.

Lesson 13 Goals

By the end of this lesson, you will have learned:

- the complete system of Lojban questions;
- the use of bridi in discursives;
- quotation;
- parenthesis;
- marking figurative speech;
- marking emphasis;
- the complete system of attitudinals and free modifiers.

Conversation practice will continue.

Assigned composition will emphasize the reporting of conversation, and structuring text or lists with number brivla.

Lesson 14 Goals

By the end of this lesson, you will have learned:

- how to turn sumti such as names into kunbri, using "me";
- the structure of Lojban text into paragraphs;
- the integration of tense and modality into a single system;
- inventing modal operators 'on the fly';

There will be continued emphasis on conversation skills.

The composition assignments will now be free, encouraging more creative use of the language. Emphasis will be on encouraging use of stated and unstated ellipsis, when and how to use tense, and when and how to use free modifiers.

Lesson 15 Goals

By the end of this lesson, you will have learned:

- the complete system of relative clauses;
- the system of MEX bridi (lexeme DU);
- the complete system of logical connectives;
- the complex aspects of tense expression:
- dimensionality;
- tensors;
- compound tenses;
- questioning tenses;
- resetting the default tense.

There will be continued emphasis on conversation skills.

You will be encouraged in free composition to explore the use of grammatical but incomplete sentences.

Lesson 16 Goals

By the end of this lesson, you will have learned:

- an overview of the system of lerfu;
- the complete system of grammatical scope;
- Linnean binomials for plants and animals.

The will be a discussion of the problems inherent to translation, and the specific problems related to translating English to Lojban and vice versa. Some in-class examples will be worked through, and students encouraged to try translating on their own.

There will be continued emphasis on conversation skills.

Free composition will encourage attempts at technical exposition or other writings that emphasize various use of scope and le'avla.

Lesson 17 Goals

By the end of this lesson, you will have learned:

- an overview of the system of mathematical expressions;
- an outline of some of the more complex and less used features of Lojban;
- how to use the morphology rules to eliminate ambiguity in what you hear;
- specific problems in ambiguity and translation.

There will be continued emphasis on conversation skills.

Students will be encouraged to translate or paraphrase aphorisms in free composition.

Lesson 18 Goals

By the end of this lesson, you will have surveyed miscellaneous aspects of Lojban:

- measurement
- culture words, including names, religions, myths, and measurement;
- special structures including:
- termsets;
- prenex quantification and formal logic expression;
- bridi variables;
- reflexives;
- subscripts.

The emphasis in this class will be on learning how to continue on your own. The problems of teaching the language will be discussed based on the class experience. Suggestions on how to improve the course will be sought, along with volunteers to continue on in teaching the language to others.

There will be up to two additional class sessions, if the class desires, to go into more depth on some of these advanced topics, to work on translations, or just to practice skills.

The 'final examination' will be a party in which it is desired that you attempt to speak only in Lojban. Suggestions are sought regarding whether and how to include spouses and other guests without interfering with this goal. The party is Bob and Nora's attempt to thank you for your patience and considerable efforts in learning the language. The date for the party will be decided by the class, probably in April or May.

All students are encouraged to attend and participate in Logfest, where you will obviously be the center of attention as we attempt to show off how far the language has progressed in the last year. You will have a chance to meet some of the others who have made it all possible, and who may even have come close to keeping up with you in learning the language from the written teaching materials. Your inputs will be sought on the future direction for the language.