[lojban] Re: Any (was: Nick will be with you shortly)

["Craig" <ragnarok@pobox.com>]

>> > > The Any problem (how to say Any shark as distinct from A shark in the
>> > > completely general case) admits of several solutions, none perfect,
>> > > although we're now putting more thought into it; when we go into
>> > > non-existing entities, we add something like {tu'o lo se ka co'e} or
>> > > something (to be thrashed out), as distinct from {lo co'e} (which
>> > > commits to existence of the referent; And, this was the coup John and
I
>> > > pulled on you in NYC.)
>> >
>> > If you're not worried about stating the existence of the thing, lo is
just
>> > fine for "any". This is true in the cases of doctors and boxes. If you
>> > slaughter all doctors and crush all boxes, you win, I'm wrong. I
suppose
>> [...]
>>
>> But "mi djica lo mikce" is true under different circumstances than
>> "mi djica <any> mikce".  It's clearer if you translate to english;
>> the first:  There is a doctor (some doctors) that I need.

>But since you do not have a particular doctor in mind (since you used lo
>and not le!) then any doctor will do. At least, you asked for any doctor.

Certainly. However, "mi djica le mikce" means the same thing. The only
difference is that lo mikce must have an md, le mikce could be anyone I want
to call a doctor. Lo and le do not mark for definition.