Subject: Re: [lojban] translation challenge: "If today is Monday..."

From: John Cowan <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 13 Oct 2001 12:57:21 -0400 (EDT)

And Rosta scripsit:

> Translate into Lojban:
> 
> 1. If today is Monday, then tomorrow is Tuesday.
> 
> [Translation should be true, regardless of when it is said.]
> 
> 2. If today is Monday, then tomorrow is Wednesday.
> 
> [Translation should be false, regardless of when it is said.]

Okay, I'll play the role of Socratic victim. What's wrong with:

ro da poi djedi zo'u da se cmene zo pavdei
.ijo lo bavlamdei be da se cmene zo reldei/cibdei
For all days X, if X is named Monday,
then the successor-day of X is named Tuesday/Wednesday.

In other words, it seems to me that the oddity of these sentences reflects
the fact that "today" and "tomorrow" are usually absolute in English, but
here are being applied as relative terms. "Bavlamdei" is actually relative
in Lojban, but is most often used (in a mildly malglico way) as absolute;
here we get to use it in the "proper" way.

-- 
John Cowan http://www.ccil.org/~cowan [email-masked]
Please leave your values | Check your assumptions. In fact,
at the front desk. | check your assumptions at the door.
--sign in Paris hotel | --Miles Vorkosigan