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

[lojban] Re: "This number"



A claim in English about "X more whatevers" can be ambiguous between:

(1) a claim about X whatevers, given that there are already some number of
whatevers in the context.
(2) a claim about a number of whatevers that is X more than some
number of whatevers present in the context.

For example:

"Mary has three pencils. I have two more."

How many pencils do we have in all? If we interpret according to (1),
we have five pencils altogether. If we interpret acording to (2), we have
eight.

My impression is that the most common use is (1), but (2) is also possible.

To say (1) in Lojban, I think the right way to go is with a modifier of
"pencil", to get "additional pencil", which could be for example
{bancydrata}:

la .meris. cu ponse ci pinsi .i mi ponse re bancydrata

or {za'u moi}:

la .meris. cu ponse ci pinsi .i mi ponse re lo za'u moi

To get meaning (2), we first need to figure out a simpler case:

"Mary has three pencils. I have the same number."
Or "I have just as many."

That was the original question, wasn't it? How do we say "this/that number".
I think we can do that with {no'o mi'u}:

la .meris. cu ponse ci pinsi .i mi ponse no'o mi'u da
"Mary has three pencils. I have said number."

And then:

la .meris. cu ponse ci pinsi .i mi ponse vei no'o mi'u su'i re da
"Mary has three pencils. I have said number plus two."

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.