On 2/15/2016 12:20 AM, Timothy Lawrence wrote:
As a user, I would like links to the relevant CLL page (or other webpage) that explains each word in context with its grammatical category.* (For me, the smaller "grammar words" are a higher priority than gismu etc.) For example, the jbovlaste description of "pu" or "zi" really only makes any sense if one has already read http://www.lojban.org/publications/reference_grammar/chapter10.html I'm struggling trying to read real-world Lojban text because I can't understand the grammatical constructs that aren't explained well on jbovlaste. It's too difficult for me to read through the entire CLL (and I've been discouraged by it being out-of-date) front-to-back.
When byfy was started more than a dozen years ago, its primary purpose was to do precisely what you are asking for. For a decade before that, I as leader of the organization had been stymied in trying to produce a dictionary because I couldn't figure out how to write dictionary entries for the cmavo (the grammatical words you refer to).
byfy did do a lot of work on this, and the web pages are still out there, and many have precisely what you are asking for: an explanation of each word in context with its grammatical category. Find the relevant pages and your needs are met.
Not all the words were done, because in some parts of the language, it is simply too difficult to explain and/or find examples of usage. And the volunteers became bored and distracted. byfy slowly declined in productivity and eventually stopped for months or years at a time.
And that sort of text still is not a dictionary entry or definition. If jbovlaste wants to pretend to be a dictionary, it needs dictionary definitions and not grammatical explanation. It's not an easy problem to solve, and after a couple of decades of trying, I'm not sure what solution would satisfy everyone. Take a look at a dictionary definition for "the" or "of" (and actually "or" might be a could one, because English "or" sometimes is inclusive and sometimes exclusive and describing that definitionally is difficult.
in any event, CLL's "out-of-date-ness" is not so bad that it should discourage you. If you learn the language as described, you'll almost certainly be understood. There might be some confusing spots, but they are mostly minor. Remember that most of the people who have learned the language have learned using the original CLL edition, and that will likely be true for years even after a revision is published. Partly due to my age and health, I don't ever expect to learn any version of the language significantly different from that described in the current CLL.
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