Re: Gismu uniqueness

[cowan (John Cowan)]

Chip Salzenburg writes:
> John Cowan writes:
> >Chip Salzenberg writes:
> >> So if no gismu like "bridV" other than "bridi" can be created, then
> >> why not have all gismu end with the same vowell, say "o", thus freeing
> >> up "CVVCa", "CVVCe", etc. for other uses?
> >
> >Mostly for better recognition.  "blanu" = "blue" would be considerably
> >less recognizable to English-speakers if it didn't end in "u".
> 
> I find this argument less than compelling when applied to a language
> that is intended to be learnable by anyone.

It is easier to learn Lojban if you already speak Chinese, English, Hindi,
Spanish, Russian, or Arabic, though, because the gismu are built from
the words in those languages.  This is a known and allowed-for source of
bias.

> >Also, what other uses?  Gismu space is really pretty big, much larger than
> >the existing number of gismu, and that provides needed redundancy.
> 
> I forget the total number of lojban consonants.  Assuming 18
> consonants and the current rules, there are about 60,000 possible
> unique gismu.

Actually the number is fewer than that, because gismu that are "too similar"
linguistically are disallowed:  the existence of "blanu" disallows "planu"
and "blamu" and several others.

> Yes, that's a lot (more than I expected, actually).  But I am still
> concerned that limiting the total number of gismu will eventually
> cause a real problem.  After all, we *will* run out someday.

We don't want to create new gismu constantly.  The gismu are intended to
be a set of roots which blanket semantic space.  New words (brivla) are
intended to be made as either lujvo or le'avla.

> If the trailing vowell is truly useful in distinguishing gismu, then
> isn't dropping it during lujvo formation a bad idea?

Redundancy in lujvo results from the fact that not all tanru are equally
likely in communication:  some combinations just make no sense semantically.
Lujvo are essentially tanru that have been standardized and compressed
for ease of use.

-- 
cowan@snark.thyrsus.com		...!uunet!cbmvax!snark!cowan
		e'osai ko sarji la lojban