response

[Logical Language Group <cbmvax!uunet!GREBYN.COM!cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu!lojbab>]

Frank Schulz asks:
>Mark E. Shoulson writes the sentence
>  mi bacru le cmene be mi be'o ne ta'i lu mark. clsn. li'u
>I do not understand the last part of the sentence
>  le cmene ne ta'i lu mark. li'u
>This should have form
>        sumti ne sumti
>so
>        ta'i lu mark. li'u
>is a sumti. This means
>        BAI sumti
>is a sumti, whichs seems strange.

On a suspicion, I checked.  Nora's grammar summary (the diagrammed
examples publication) says "sumti ne sumti" because she was trying to
keep things simple.  The BNF, and more important, the YACC grammar,
shows that the potential for what can go in the places labelled 'sumti'
in the diagrammed examples is hardly touched by that phrase.

Those who have the handout (updated and posted a few months ago) are
welcome to suggest a workable change that won't mislead, but also won't
overcomplicate.  I'm not sure BAI-tagged sumti are even discussed in the
handout, and this may be part of the problem.

The diagrammed examples were intended as very introductory material
intended to get people started, and also to serve as a quick reference
for people who have gotten rusty, but who already know the grammar.
This dual purpose may be self-contradictory, alas.

lojbab