[lojban] Re: Compound vs Coordinate Bilinguals

[MorphemeAddict@wmconnect.com]

In a message dated 8/27/2009 14:50:04 Eastern Daylight Time, adam.raizen@gmail.com writes:


> How does limiting the semantic primitives used in definitions even have a connection to the problem of definitions not being able to capture all the details of usage of real words in real languages. Have I completely misunderstood what NSM is?


One of the aims of NSM (and a minor one, I think) is to find the semantic primitives of language(s).
The main aim is to use those primitives in defining non-primitive terms.  This is done with "explications", or scenario-like quasi-definitions that give much more information about the real meaning of a word than standard definitions do.  These explications also allow comparison of different words, in particular, synonyms, to see precisely in what way the words' meanings are different.  

stevo