[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

[lojban] Re: A (rather long) discussion of {all}

On 7/12/06, Jorge Llambías <jjllambias@gmail.com> wrote:

On 7/12/06, Maxim Katcharov <maxim.katcharov@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 7/11/06, And Rosta <and.rosta@gmail.com> wrote:
> > 2. It was my immersion in lojbanology that made me realize that there is something somehow fundamental to the singular--plural distinction, in that only plurals, and not singulars, are sensitive to a collective--distributive distinction.
>
> Good point. I'd like to know how this is accounted for in the
> pluralist system (or rather, the system that opposes mine).

How you make the distinction between distributive and non-distributive?


No, I want to know how you explain why the singular is the only one
that is not subject to collectivity. Why does adding a distributive
(and collective) marker to a singular make no sense? What is special
about 1, by your reckoning?


With {ro} for distributive and {lo'u} for non-distributive:

     ro ko'a broda (distributive)
     lo'u ko'a broda (non-distributive)
     ko'a broda (unmarked for distributivity)

What And is saying is that when ko'a has a single referent, there is no
distinction between the distributive and the non-distributive cases. That
is indeed a special property of singular referents, you don't need to
distinguish distributive and non-distributive predication for them.

> If not
> because of how I describe things to work, then why is it that it is
> strange and perhaps impossible to treat singulars collectively?

It is just as strange to treat them distributively. The distinction makes no
sense for singulars. We don't say "each cat is in the house" when
there is only one cat.


Yep. Why?



mu'o mi'e xorxes


To unsubscribe from this list, send mail to lojban-list-request@lojban.org
with the subject unsubscribe, or go to http://www.lojban.org/lsg2/, or if
you're really stuck, send mail to secretary@lojban.org for help.





To unsubscribe from this list, send mail to lojban-list-request@lojban.org
with the subject unsubscribe, or go to http://www.lojban.org/lsg2/, or if
you're really stuck, send mail to secretary@lojban.org for help.