[lojban] Re: experimental cmavo in lojgloss.

["Chris Capel" <pdf23ds@gmail.com>]

On Mon, Nov 3, 2008 at 13:53, Arnt Richard Johansen <arj@nvg.org> wrote:
> Depends on how forgiving you want to make the parser. The official parser just assumes that all unknown cmavo are UI.

That would be a good first step, with specific exception for known
ones (that aren't in fact UI).

> One major problem with trying to parse experimental cmavo is that they are very ad-hoc. Often, someone will suggest that some new kind of cmavo is necessary/would be nice, and then grab an arbitrary cmavo form from experimental space (xVV*/CVV+'+V*) without checking if someone else have suggested the same cmavo with a completely different use.

The solution for this is to allow multiple definitions for the same
word and then let the user of Lojgloss switch between them at parse
time.

> Another point (or, if you like, a stern warning): if you decide you want to handle experimental cmavo and constructs, please flag them as such, prominently. A glosser/parser is a tool that people not only use to make sense of other people's texts, but also to check if their own prose is correct. If they try to use experimental cmavo, they need to know that their Lojban is not quite kosher, and might not be understood by those who aren't down with the latest lingo.

I can certainly color them differently, and maybe mark them in the
text output as well. But in general, I don't think users are going to
have much trouble recognizing the form of experimental cmavo, if
they're familiar with the concept at all.

Chris Capel
-- 
"What is it like to be a bat? What is it like to bat a bee? What is it
like to be a bee being batted? What is it like to be a batted bee?"
-- The Mind's I (Hofstadter, Dennet)


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.