From lojbab@lojban.org Mon Sep 24 14:44:00 2001 Return-Path: X-Sender: lojbab@lojban.org X-Apparently-To: lojban@yahoogroups.com Received: (EGP: mail-7_3_2_2); 24 Sep 2001 21:43:59 -0000 Received: (qmail 96382 invoked from network); 24 Sep 2001 21:31:02 -0000 Received: from unknown (10.1.10.142) by l10.egroups.com with QMQP; 24 Sep 2001 21:31:02 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO stmpy-4.cais.net) (205.252.14.74) by mta3 with SMTP; 24 Sep 2001 21:31:02 -0000 Received: from bob.lojban.org (ppp32.net-A.cais.net [205.252.61.32]) by stmpy-4.cais.net (8.11.1/8.11.1) with ESMTP id f8OLV0r26654; Mon, 24 Sep 2001 17:31:00 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <4.3.2.7.2.20010924172346.00d71690@pop.cais.com> X-Sender: vir1036@pop.cais.com X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 4.3.2 Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 17:28:11 -0400 To: John Cowan Subject: Re: [lojban] Dumb answers to good questions Cc: lojban@yahoogroups.com In-Reply-To: References: <4.3.2.7.2.20010923205615.00daa220@pop.cais.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed From: "Bob LeChevalier (lojbab)" At 10:50 PM 9/23/01 -0400, John Cowan wrote: >Bob LeChevalier (lojbab) scripsit: > > > OK, then bi'u/bi'unai is indeed the focus marker, since it marks the piece > > of key information as being either new or old information. Just > marking it > > says that it is key, of course. > >I don't think so: consider "It was George who hit the (bi'u) man." I don't get it. You could literally translate that into Lojban, with the bi'u as marked, but why is the bi'u there if NOT to mark focus, and if "It was George" that is the focus, and presumably the key information, why is it *not* marked - I mean if the listener already knows it, it isn't that important, and "the man" presumably is; and if the listener doesn't know it, and you are bothering to mark bi'u, then it should be marked. lojbab -- lojbab 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: http://www.lojban.org