cleft place structures

[lojbab (Bob LeChevalier)]

Art Protin asks:
>Can we get a more precise definition of cleft place structures?

A cleft place structure is one which has two places, one an actor, and the
other an event clause for which the actor is the agent.  Thus, in expressing
a sentence using such a place structure, you either redundantly express the
actor or elliptically omit the actor in a way that is very non-lojbanic.

Example using galfi (cleft place structure in x1/x4)

mi galfi le blanu bitmu le xunre bitmu lenu [mi] cinta preja
I modify the blue wall into the red wall by the-event [I] paint-spread.

In contrast, a united place struture will have only the event clause, usually
up front.  Thus a proposed revision of galfi would give:

lenu mi cinta preja cu galfi le blanu bitmu le xunre bitmu
The event-of me paint-spreading modifies the blue wall into the red wall.

This united place structure has the difficulty of accessing the actor (me)
in a later sentence, by methods familiar to natural language speakers.
You can say "le cinta preja", but not "le galfi", since the modifier is an
event, not a person.

There is a possible solution that I have not yet mentioned, because I want
more feedback to make sure that we understand the problem.

The problem, in addition to the defective logical structure of cleft places, i
is that If we use united places, English and other natural language idiom
no longer translates literally.  You have to rephrase the sentence to fit the
less natural-languagy place structure.  This makes those place structures
harder to learn and internalize for the new Loglanist, because life-long
habits must be overcome.  It can be done, however.  An example of the united
place structure is:
lenu mi cinta preja cu mulno
The-event-of me paint-spreading is complete.

The cleft place structure version, not legal for mulno (which was changed early)
is:

*mi mulno lenu [mi] cinta preja.
I'm done [with the event of[me] paint-spreading.

----
lojbab = Bob LeChevalier, President, The Logical Language Group, Inc.
         2904 Beau Lane, Fairfax VA 22031-1303 USA
         703-385-0273
         lojbab@snark.thyrsus.com