CONLANG: Lojban and XOR and set selection

[Logical Language Group <lojbab@ACCESS.DIGEX.NET>]

>I think the conjunction meaning "exactly one" (ie. "one and only one is
>true", ie. "one is true and the others are false"). I like it to have
>variable number of arguments. This conjunction (even n-ary for a given n>2)
>is impossible to express by a binary conjunction (like XOR is). Does Lojban
>grammar allow something like this to be implemented in it?
>
>                                                Martin.

IN addition to its set of logical connectives, Lojban has other connectives
including a set-making connective.  It has also got a construct allowing
set selection, so you can say in effect "exactly one (or some other
number) from the set {a, b, c ...}.  The number selected can be an
exact number, a range, or a vague number.  You can concatenate these set
selections to get "1 from column A and 2 from column B".  

We established that there was no simple way using the basic logical connectives
to get all possible truth tables for 3 or more terms without repeating some
terms, which is both clumsy and non-intuitive.  The set selection method allows
for any arbitrary truth-table equivalent, when used  along with the simple
2-term connectives.  (Or so we believe - no one has really tested this one
to its "logical" extreme.

lojbab
----
lojbab                                                lojbab@access.digex.net
Bob LeChevalier, President, The Logical Language Group, Inc.
2904 Beau Lane, Fairfax VA 22031-1303 USA                        703-385-0273
Artificial language Loglan/Lojban: ftp.access.digex.net /pub/access/lojbab
    or see Lojban WWW Server: href="http://xiron.pc.helsinki.fi/lojban/";