From slobin@ice.ru Fri Mar 24 06:38:01 2000 Return-Path: Received: (qmail 31974 invoked from network); 24 Mar 2000 14:38:00 -0000 Received: from unknown (10.1.10.27) by m4.onelist.org with QMQP; 24 Mar 2000 14:37:59 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO fair.fe.msk.ru) (194.247.147.11) by mta2.onelist.org with SMTP; 24 Mar 2000 14:37:57 -0000 Received: from localhost (slobin@localhost) by fair.fe.msk.ru (8.9.3/8.9.3/Debian/GNU) with ESMTP id RAA02894 for ; Fri, 24 Mar 2000 17:37:54 +0300 Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2000 17:37:54 +0300 (MSK) X-Sender: slobin@fair.fe.msk.ru To: lojban@onelist.com Subject: Translating names Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII X-eGroups-From: Cyril Slobin From: Cyril Slobin [la .ivan. cusku di'e] > Another problem is that it is hard to tell if the {s} or {n} > was there originally or is a cmene-maker. That's why I have > suggested that the thing appended to vowel-final names should be > something that the name couldn't end in, or would be unlikely to > -- John's {vzv} is a reasonable candidate. I believe cmene-making is (or should be) even more artistic than tanru- or lujvo-making. Short but maybe didactic example follows: I dwell in Moscow (Russia), which is spelled "Moskva" in Russian language. My first attempt to lojbanize it was {moskvas}, but this is illegal due the "kv" which is forbidden. Technical solution is {moskyvas}, but extra syllable made it clumsy. So I tried {moskas}, {moskuas}, {moskovas}... until hit into {moskav}. It is short, contains exactly the same set of letters as original Russian name, and close resembles the Average European Spelling (Moscow, Moskau, Moscou). Alas no such trick with "Russia" = {rosi,ias}. P.S. Just do not interpret it as a pair of rafsi. ;-) [co'o mi'e kir. ne la moskav. po'u la'e me'o ru'o my .obu sy ky vy .abu] -- Cyril Slobin