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Date: Thu, 01 Jun 2000 13:09:31 -0000
To: lojban@egroups.com
Subject: rafsi - the Lakhota way?
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From: "=?iso-8859-1?q?Alfred_W._T=FCting?=" <Ti@fa-kuan.muc.de>

I am wondering if there had been any natural language models borne in
mind by the inventor(s) of Lojban for the special way of 
building lujvo from rafsi-'radicals'? Was it mere necessity for
keeping the compounds as short as possible leading to the creation 
of rafsi, or were there ideas going back e.g. to natural languages of
'incorporating' type (Native American idioms)?
I'm thinking of Sioux languages (e.g. Lakhota) with examples like:
Mnikoozu (lb: mniko,oju), an abbreviation of Minikayawozupi (a
Miniconjou group),
Mnisa (lb: mnica), abbr. of 'minisala' (red water),
gnuska (lb: gnucka), abbr. of 'gnugnuska' (grass hopper),
suktanka (lb: cukta(n)ka), abbr. of 'sunka-tanka' (big dog, horse) or
tasunke (e.g. in tasunkekokipapi=afraid-of-his horse), abbr. of
'tanka-sunke' (big dog, horse),
Tasa (lb. taCA), abbr. of 'ta-tanka sa' (big-animal-with-a-humpback
being big of-red-colour=red bull),
wakinyan (lb: .uaki(n)ya(n) ), abbr. of 'wakan kinyan' (mystery
flight=blow of lightning),
wakanka, abbr. of 'wakan yanka' (sitting above all=one's wife, note:
Chinese: taitai),
Wapasa (lb: .uapaca), abbr. of 'wapaha sa un' ('wearing the red head
decoration'=name of known Dakota leader),
wasicun (lb: .uacitcu(n)), abbr. for 'wahosi icun' (messenger
bringing a message to a single person - ref. to French clergymen),
waziya (lb: .uazia), abbr. for 'waziyata' (towards snow and
pinetrees, i.e. the north, northwind, legendary white giant),
winkte (lb: .ui(n)kte), abbr. for 'winyanktehca' - lb:
.ui(n).ia(n)k.tex.tca - (wants to be a woman=hermaphrodite).

(The lakhota consonant "n" although not being pronounced after a
vowel, shouldn't we write it anyway in Lojban to indicate the 
nasal?? - This consideration is the same regarding French, Portugese
etc.)

BTW, quite interesting: doesn't Lakhota "e-i-i-i" (an expression of
regret) remind us of Lojban attitudinals?!

co'o mi'e .aulun.