Re: [lojban] {.au}/{djica}={.ai}/{?}. No gismu for intention

[iesk <pa.fae@gmx.de>]

Le dimanche 12 août 2012 06:26:19 UTC+2, Mike a écrit :
>If I am free and officially sanctioned to say "ui" disingenuously i.e. without really being happy, or I can say "ai" without even the slightest conscious real intention (at the time, perhaps speaking a complete lie) of follow-through, then I fear that "ui" and "ai" >have no real meaning.  Is this what is wanted?  Consider what politicians would do with these conventions.  Consider what they already do speaking English.
>
>I think the real question I have here regards _meaning_.   You make what I feel is an arbitrary semantic distinction between an assertion and an attitudinal "mode", but I feel without assertion there is no meaning.   If attitudinals don't assert at least a >vague albeit real feeling felt by the speaker, what do attitudinals really do?  

ba'e pe'i di'e

You are free and officially sanctioned to fake a smile. Politicians do fake smiles. In spite of all that, a smile usually means something to you (not in a propositional way). However that works, that's how UIs should work.

Whenever human beings smile, we are *usually* entitled to say that they are happy (I’m simplifying, obviously). You are wise to assume that *some* instances of smiling are fake, but you just don't assume that *all* smiles are fake. If you did, you'd probably end up being considered mentally ill or something.

Whenever a Lojban speaker says {.ui}, same thing. It is part of the Lojban Sprachspiel.^^

Whenever I feel like giving in to the temptation of thinking about UIs in terms of truth and falsehood, I remind myself that UIs are essentially like body language, viz. (to the ideal Lojban speaker) they are a natural extension and, if you will, enrichment of it. Verbalised non-verbal communication.

iesk

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