Subject: "za'o" & "still"

From: "And Rosta" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 5 Jul 2000 23:21:04 +0100

Ivan:
> Jorge Llambias wrote:
> > "still" certainly has a component of "beyond expectation",
> > and the expectation is completion for actions that could be
> > completed.
> 
> I'm afraid that doesn't follow (and so the rest of the argument
> doesn't either). `Is dinner ready? -- No, it's still cooking.'
> (Certainly not overcooking.) Emphasis on real-world {ca'o}
> ({pu'omo'u}, {pu'oco'u}) in contrast to hypothetical {ba'o}
> and {za'o}. This is what we need to express.

I agree with most of what Jorge has said, including that "still"
shd not be an attitudinal, but I strongly agree with Ivan that
"za'o" not = "still". For example, suppose I count up to 20. Once 
I'm counting through the teens, then I'm *za'o* counting up to 10. 
But I'm not *still* counting up to 10.

The question then is, how to express "still" in Lojban. It seems
obvious that the only way is to use a lujvo: "[still] fa le nu
broda". If context tolerates the vagueness, then a tanru can
be used: "[still] broda".

A more general lesson is that when you need to express a meaning
that seems to be so far unlexicalized, then rather than faffing
about with recalcitrant cmavo, a simple lujvo does the trick.

--And.