[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: Lojban ML: Syllogism and sophism



Lojbab:
>>>>> If we want the ambiguitry of English, why bother using Lojban?
>>>>English is as capable of disambiguation as is Lojban, isn't it?
 >>>I don't think so.  Every expression which disambiguates in English is
>>>itself ambiguous.
 >>Yes, and every expression which disambiguates in Lojban is
>>itself ambiguous as well.
>
>English words have a surfeit of polysemy, in addition to the large
>quantity of grammatical ambiguity.  I am not sure that it is possible
>to resolve either of these kinds of ambiguity without introducing new
>kinds if only through the polysemy of other English words.  Advantage
>therefore to Lojban, which so far has minimal polysemy.

Lojban certainly has far less polysemy than English. And yet English
is as capable of disambiguation as is Lojban, isn't it?

 >>The problem with {ni}, as we already discussed, is that it is also
>>defined to be something else, a number. {le ni marji} is variously
>>defined to be like {le ka grake} and like {le se grake}.
>
>le se grake could be a measurement of leni ko'a marji.  The degree to which
>something is composed of matter is its mass, which is measured on a scale
of
>grams.

Right, that is one of the definitions of {ni}. The other one is that of
chapter 11,
example 5.3 of the refgrammar, where it is stated that {le ni} is the number
on the scale, rather than the property being measured.

 >As I have repeatedly said, my concept of slabu as age i slabu be loi
>jmive prenu.

But "well known to some alive people" is not equivalent to old as age.

> But if you don't like this there is always
>to'ercitno

Yes, or {tolci'o} for short.

co'o mi'e xorxes