Re: The Mad Proposals

[Nick NICHOLAS <nsn@VIS.MU.OZ.AU>]

First up, apologies for my continuing absence from the list. What with net
access problems, thesis work, part-time work etc., this is unfortunately
likely to continue (I now finally realise why Ivan has been silent for so
long.)

Jorge, as he had said himself, will not be surprised with my reaction to the
proposals, which is the old "If it ain't broken" line. In more detail:

> MAD PROPOSAL NUMBER 1:
> Allow {je} everywhere that {joi} is allowed.

In truth, this couldn't hurt. It's an extension of the language rather than
a change (albeit not a motivated one unless the other proposals get adopted),
the problems with using {je} thus are already present wth {joi}, and it
adds a symmetry (in reserve) to the connective system. I support this. Jorge's
arguments convince me here.

> MAD PROPOSAL NUMBER 1 part B:
> Eliminate selmaho GA.

Nope. Freeing lexeme GA? I'd see no plausible use to which lexemes that short
should be put to --- in the cut-throat world of cmavo, they'd be reserved
for something pretty important, and I'd say most such bases have been covered.
Plus of course, there's been too much usage of GA to justify this.

> MAD PROPOSAL NUMBER 2:
> Replace {gi'e}'s by {gije}'s, and extend the grammar to allow {gijoi}'s
> in the same function of bridi-tail connection.

No. Almost all the cmavo that would have to be replaced in text are {gi'e},
and I think there are good intuitive, as well as conservative reasons, why
it should stay.

> MAD PROPOSAL NUMBER 3:
> Eliminate {gu'e}'s and replace them by {guje}'s. Also allow {gujoi}'s
> to fullfill the same function for non-logical connectives.

Yes. This cmavo family is likely to be available to cmavo plundering, has
hardly ever been used, would introduce some joi/je symmetry where it can't
hurt, and does little violence to the language. I don't know what we'd use
for {gu} though, given I'd want GA to stay. I think this function will be
so seldom used, we could afford to use, say, {gu'i} instead.

> MAD PROPOSAL NUMBER 4:
> Change {ji} from selmaho A to selamho JA

Nah.

Nick the unsurprising.