[lojban] Re: tanru

[John E Clifford <clifford-j@sbcglobal.net>]

--- Jorge Llambías <jjllambias@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Apr 4, 2005 7:59 AM, opi_lauma
> <opi_lauma@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > 9.10) la tam. [cu] melbi tavla la meris.
> >    Tom beautifully-talks to Mary.
> >    Tom is a beautiful-talker to Mary.
> > 
> 
> > "beautiful talker" can also mean that he is a
> talker and he is
> > beautiful but he is beautiful not as talker,
> he just have a nice face,
> > for example. Can this second meaning of the
> second sentence be a one
> > of the possible meanings of the original
> lojban sentence?
> 
> Yes, tanru are vague by nature. When you need
> to be more
> precise, there are ways to do so. For example:
> 
>   lo nu la tam tavla la meris cu melbi
>   Tom's talking to Mary is beautiful.
> 
>   la tam melbi gi'e tavla la meris
>   Tom is beautiful and talks to Mary.
> 
> mu'o mi'e xorxes

And, for that matter, "talks about beauty" and
jsut about any other imaginable combination of
"beauty" and "talk."  Context -- including asking
for explanations, is hoped to resolve the unclarity.