Subject: Re: [lojban] bacrynandu drata

From: "Robert A. McIvor" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 14:21:55 -0400

At 21:20 -0400 28/6/00, Bob LeChevalier (lojbab) wrote:
>At 05:39 PM 06/28/2000 -0700, michael helsem wrote:
>> >From: Taral <[email-masked]>
>> li'o
>> > > ko tcidu le mupli pe li bipi'epa zi'e petu'i le somoi
>> > > cuktypau (See example 8.1 in the 9th chapter of the Book.)
>> >
>> >Very good, but shouldn't that be "ckupau"?
>>
>>vlina (Either/or.)
>
>To clarify, all combinations of rafsi for the same tanru, when properly
>formed and connected, represent the same word with identical meaning. Thus
>ckupau = cuktypau = cuktypagbu = ckupagbu. Usually the shortest form is
>the preferred form, but oftentimes the fully expanded form will be seen,
>especially when beginners are talking or listening, because it requires no
>knowledge of the short rafsi. ....
>A major thing we wanted to avoid was having the same tanru being used to
>make several different words having different meanings. JCB and TLI took
>the approach that the dictionary-makers would choose one correct form to be
>used by all; I chose instead to say that all forms were valid and
>synonymous.

The last sentence is misleading. JCB, while having a strong
preference for the shorter form, for the reason you cite always agreed that
all forms were valid and synonymous.
The dictionary creates a canonical form, based on a point-rating system he
devised, but this can be (and is, occasionally) overridden for reasons of
euphony. In these cases, the dictionary program generates the algorithmic
form as well, with a 'See ....' reference to the overriding form. One
reason for
this is that dictionary users can enter the constituent predicates when looking
for a (or proposing a new) word to determine the algorithmic form.