Re: [lojban] "lo no"

[Jorge Llambías <jjllambias@gmail.com>]

On Fri, May 20, 2011 at 8:16 PM, Ian Johnson <blindbravado@gmail.com> wrote:
> "Half of a can of oranges", in English, is not half of the oranges in a full
> can; it is a thing, possibly a mass, comprised of both the can and half of
> the oranges that were in it. (If I ask you to give me the half a can of
> oranges that's in the fridge (perhaps to ensure you don't give me the other
> one that is unopened), I don't expect you to take them out of the can and
> give them to me.)

I get no Google hits for "half of a can of oranges". For "half a can
of oranges" I only get three different hits: "Fold in fruit cocktail
and mandarin oranges, reserving half a can of oranges for garnish", "I
eat half a can of oranges and drink some water before the sun starts
to go down" and "Add almonds, half a can of oranges or corn (save the
other half for a salad tomorrow), and parmesan to the lettuce,", none
of which seems to include the can in what you do to the oranges. In
the case of your "give" example, I suspect that including the can is
part of the practicalities of the situation, not of the meaning of the
noun phrase.

mu'o mi'e xorxes

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