Subject: [lojban] Re: ka'enai (was: Re: A question on the new baseline policy)

From: "Craig" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 1 Dec 2002 22:04:34 -0500

>> > motto is always the famous LUD - Let Usage Decide. Well, U has D'd that
even
>> > though there is a prescription here, ka'enai is fine. That is to say,
it
>> > pops up all sorts of places, and everyone understands it (as equivalent
to
>> > na ka'e). So if the language is reentering a period of change, ka'enai
>> > should be considered at least.

>"Let usage decide" refers to a time (which we are not anywhere near)
>in the distant future when people can fluently speak lojban. It
>does not refer to mistakes people make when learning. Usage is not
>sufficient to decide anything right now, and of the usage which
>exists there's barely any ka'enai---there's only a few people who
>would rather change it to be correct than to just take a look at
>the BNF and learn what the grammar for tenses really is (CAhA is
>not just like PU, neither is ZAhO, etc).

In general, I respect your opinion - I'm just putting mine out there because
I think yours is worng. But there is one thing I must object to here. The
bulk of "ka'enai" use NOT to be construed as a "mistake people make when
learning", it is a conscious choice to be LOGICAL with our "Logical
language" and use a form that is consistent with the rest of the language -
despite knowledge that someone decided it should be considered incorrect
without considering the rest of the language.