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Subject: containers
To: lojban@egroups.com
Date: Thu, 15 Jun 2000 16:15:30 +0100 (BST)
Cc: sklyanin@amsta.leeds.ac.uk (Evgueni Sklyanin)
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From: E Sklyanin <sklyanin@pdmi.ras.ru>

coi rodo

There is a group of gismu describing various containers. The definition of
such gismu usually has a place (x2, sometimes x3) for the contents.
In the list of English definitions the word "contents" is used with three
prepositions: for/of/with:

"for contents":
botpi (bottle), dacru (drower), lante (can), patxu (pot), tansi (pan),
tanxe (box).

"of contents":
baktu (bucket), palne (tray)

"with contents":
dakli (sack), lanku (basket)

unique wording:
kabri (cup) "containing contents"
palta (plate) - no place for contents

I wonder if this difference in wording (for/of/with/containig) is deliberate 
and serves to convey different meanings. Are we speaking in case of bottle
(botpi) only of the bottle itself, and of only potential contents? How do we 
say then "a bottle of wine"? 

Respectively, when we use "bucket" (baktu) are we speaking about an amount of
water contained in a bucket? How can we then refer to an empty bucket?

I would prefer to have a uniform place structure for all kinds of containers.
It is rather difficult to memorize the distibution of "for/of/with".

co'o mi'e .evgenis.