From lojbab@lojban.org Fri Mar 16 13:30:43 2001 Return-Path: X-Sender: lojbab@lojban.org X-Apparently-To: lojban@yahoogroups.com Received: (EGP: mail-7_0_4); 16 Mar 2001 21:30:42 -0000 Received: (qmail 54295 invoked from network); 16 Mar 2001 21:30:42 -0000 Received: from unknown (10.1.10.142) by l9.egroups.com with QMQP; 16 Mar 2001 21:30:42 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO stmpy-4.cais.net) (205.252.14.74) by mta3 with SMTP; 16 Mar 2001 22:31:46 -0000 Received: from bob.lojban.org (209-8-89-139.dynamic.cais.com [209.8.89.139]) by stmpy-4.cais.net (8.11.1/8.11.1) with ESMTP id f2GLUex95248 for ; Fri, 16 Mar 2001 16:30:40 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <4.3.2.7.2.20010316130844.00ba7f00@127.0.0.1> X-Sender: vir1036/pop.cais.com@127.0.0.1 X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 4.3.2 Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2001 13:13:08 -0500 To: lojban@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [lojban] Some questions In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed From: "Bob LeChevalier (lojbab)" At 02:40 AM 03/16/2001 +0000, Jorge Llambias wrote: > >b) After starting to teach Lojban to some friends, they all shouted out > >that "This goddamn 'y' letter is all fucked-up. > >My feelings precisely. > > >Anyone have any explanations? > >Speakers of 5-vowel languages were not consulted at the time... Not directly, though JCB was purportedly fluent in Spanish having lived on Ibeza for several years. But we did consult linguists and polyglots (who were skilled in several languages including Tommy W. who was trained in Modern Hebrew), and the consensus was that the best sixth vowel after a five vowel system would have to be the central one, which unstressed (as it always is in Lojban) is a schwa. lojbab -- lojbab lojbab@lojban.org Bob LeChevalier, President, The Logical Language Group, Inc. 2904 Beau Lane, Fairfax VA 22031-1303 USA 703-385-0273 Artificial language Loglan/Lojban: http://www.lojban.org