Re: [lojban] translation challenge: "If today is Monday..."

[John Cowan <cowan@ccil.org>]

pycyn@aol.com scripsit:

> > In other words, it seems to me that the oddity of these sentences reflects
> > the fact that "today" and "tomorrow" are usually absolute in English, but
> > here are being applied as relative terms.  "Bavlamdei" is actually relative
> > in Lojban, but is most often used (in a mildly malglico way) as absolute;
> > here we get to use it in the "proper" way.
> 
> Item 1>  You didn't say "if" but "iff," which happens to be OK here, in fact, 
> though not what was said/asked for.

Fair enough.

> Item 2>"today", "tomorrow", etc. are token reflexive, i.e., get their 
> references dependent upon when the occurrence of the word in question is 
> uttered.  I don't see exactly what is meant here by "relative" (other than 
> "token-reflexive") and "absolute."  This use is perfectly normal in English 
> and Lojban.

In English, "today" and "tomorrow" are normally token-reflexive, then,
but in this sentence are used in the senses "a day" and "the successor
of that day".

The Lojban predicate "bavlamdei", though, in fact means "x1 is the
successor-day of x2", but with an appropriately glorked x2 ends
up being used as "tomorrow".

-- 
John Cowan           http://www.ccil.org/~cowan              cowan@ccil.org
Please leave your values        |       Check your assumptions.  In fact,
   at the front desk.           |          check your assumptions at the door.
     --sign in Paris hotel      |            --Miles Vorkosigan