From lojbab@xxxxxx.xxxx Tue Jul 27 18:51:24 1999 X-Digest-Num: 199 Message-ID: <44114.199.1084.959273824@eGroups.com> Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 21:51:24 -0400 From: Bob LeChevalier-Logical Language Group From: Spigot > >i'm trying to understand CAhA, its tricky. the book sayson pg 243 >that "lojban bridi without tense markers may not necessarily refer >to actual events: they may also refer to capabilities or potential >events." > >if this is true, then a huge number of bridi that are said to be >"obviously" false are not, like > lo nanmu cu ninmu >or > lo'e glipre cu xabju le fi'ortu'a > >aren't these bridi true because men are in fact capable of being women, >(they could prehaps get an operation), and the english are capable of >typically living in Africa (perhaps they all move there). > >it seems that unless you specifically use , then your bridi >is true in some sense... is this right? You can stretch potential tenses to such extremes, but the real examples are things like "inflammable", or to refer to someone being a swimmer, even though they are not actually in the water right now paddling. lojbab ---- lojbab ***NOTE NEW ADDRESS*** lojbab@lojban.org Bob LeChevalier, President, The Logical Language Group, Inc. 2904 Beau Lane, Fairfax VA 22031-1303 USA 703-385-0273 Artificial language Loglan/Lojban: see Lojban WWW Server: href=" http://xiron.pc.helsinki.fi/lojban/ " Order _The Complete Lojban Language_ - see our Web pages or ask me.