Re: TECH: A pragmatics sampler

[Logical Language Group <lojbab@GREBYN.COM>]

Cowan may disagree, but I think the Russian interpretation holds in your
examples.  The tense is set (or not set, in these examples) by the main
selbri, which appears first in the sentence.  The later tenses are relative
to any earlier tenses.

If the tenses within the sumti had appeared first in the sentence, things get
a bit more nebulous, but presuming the storytime convention, "ca" is a little
bit after the previous sentence's time.  And of course, if a tense is
tied into the ".i": .ijeca, then that sets a more specific reference for
later tense adjustments in the sentence.

I believe also that any specific tensing. either before or after the sumti
in question, would override all this wishy-washyness. "ca le cabna", for
example would make the other "ca" the absolute present (assuming that "le"
is referring to that present.

Does this clarify, or merely make things murkier?

lojbab