[lojban] Re: Projects

[Jorge "Llambías" <jjllambias2000@yahoo.com.ar>]

reverendzow:
> Additionally, I am finding a need for a schematically defined syntax 
> for Lojban. 

Could you expand a bit more on what you mean by that?

> In attempting to create such a definition, I often come 
> across logical constructs which have no Lojban names.  For instance, 
> what shall we call words that possess brivla?  I have come up with 
> ka'eserafsi, although my construction may be flawed, and a word based 
> on fu'ivla may be better. 

I guess you mean words that possess _rafsi_. Then {selrafsi} or just
{se rafsi} will work. These will be all the gismu (which possess at 
least the four letter rafsi formed by dropping the last vowel) and 
some cmavo. If you mean words that can be components of lujvo, then 
this means almost every word, because you can use {zei} to join almost
any pair of words into a lujvo (exactly which words the exceptions are
is a matter to be investigated, but they are very few: y, si, sa, su, 
bu?, zo?, zoi?, ba'e?, zei itself?).

>  The words being defined, 
> however, could be changed, and (if changed properly) with the sole 
> consequence of requiring /piji'i lo'i lojban ve tavla do/ to learn 
> the new vocabulary. 

This is probably out of the question for Lojban at this stage,
but there is a yahoogroups list (engelang) where you could discuss
such ideas. The list hasn't been very active lately though.

> The reason I think this may be a good thing to 
> do is that I doubt sufficient research has been put into the 
> worldwide pronuncibility and comprehensibility of the language.  For 
> instance, most Japanese have trouble differentiating American L/R, 
> and pronouncing our R. 

On the other hand, if you only use distinctions that can be easily 
made and recognized by everybody, you end up with a need for longer 
words to make up for the small inventory of phonemes. I agree that 
Lojban's phoneme inventory is not especially good, though it is not 
especially bad either. (It is almost identical to the Esperanto 
inventory, with one or two minor differences only: Esperanto doesn't 
have Lojban's "y", and it has ts, tc, dj as single phonemes.)

> I'm sure there are other examples, but I'm 
> only a phoneticist by hobby, and know only scraps of languages.  I 
> also think a more optimal fashion of creating the smallest words is 
> possible.  Lastly, I wonder wether any consultation of experts in 
> computerized voice-recognition has taken place. 

I don't think so.

> Their input on 
> viable sounds to include in a language could be invaluable.  The 
> point is:  it is quite likely that the vocabulary needs serious 
> optimization/reform if widespread adoption of Lojban is to occur.

Maybe, but such a re-doing of the words will almost certainly
be unacceptable to the existing Lojban community.

mu'o mi'e xorxes



		
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