RE: "what i have for dinner"

["Bob LeChevalier (lojbab)" <lojbab@lojban.org>]

At 02:50 PM 12/11/99 +0000, And Rosta wrote:
> > > On the other hand, it could be argued that if I wonder who came then
> > > it does follow that "I want that (Ax) (I know whether x came)".
> >
> > I think this is an excessively robust kind of wondering.  If I wonder
> > who wrote the book of love (from a doo-wop song, full lyric
> > available at http://www.fiftiesweb.com/lyrics/booklove.htm), it does
> > not follow that I actually want to know this: my curiosity may be
> > quite idle.
>
>OK, but wondering decomposes into some kind of trying/wanting with
>respect to some kind of epistemic state. Whether or not we can find
>appropriate expressions for those in English, _X wonder P_ nonetheless
>means "X dweeble that X beeble that P", where "dweeble" is some kind
>of trying/wanting and "beeble" is some kind of epistemic state.

I understand "I wonder who came" as "mi kucli le nu makau cmima le'i klama" 
which I gues puts me in the set membership camp for at least this aspect of 
indirect questions.  Note that le'i implies that set that I am curious 
about quite intensional; I have no curiosity about the ants, flies, or 
bacteria who might have come.

lojbab (probably sticking his nose in where he cannot possibly understand).

----
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