Re: may the wind be always at your back

[Jim Carter <jimc@MATH.UCLA.EDU>]

Robert Weiss <weiss@EWALD.MBI.UCLA.EDU> writes:
> I was going to bring this up during the discussion a few months ago about
> "all men are equal, but some are more equal than others," and now that
> we're talking about "may the wind always be at your back" I have another
> opportunity.

> As I understand Lojban, the literal translation of these aphorisms
> contains no more than their literal meaning...

I think the difference between the phrases is significant.  "Wind at
back" is a metaphor as you point out; appropriate (if one wants to be
pedantic) would be to enclose the translation in pe'a .. po'a brackets
to indicate that the meanings are figurative.  Whereas, "all animals
are equal, but pigs are more equal than others" is intended by the
speaker (a pig) to be taken literally and to be acted upon as if the
semantic form were correct, i.e. other animals should defer to pigs.
Of course the reader knows that the definition of "equal" is being
twisted in a tragi-comic manner.  Probably the entire story, a satire,
could be enclosed in pe'a .. po'a, though the sophisticated reader is
supposed to figure that part out for him/herself.

James F. Carter        Voice 310 825 2897       FAX 310 206 6673
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