Re: Good luck... you'll *need* it.

[Logical Language Group <cbmvax!uunet!GREBYN.COM!lojbab>]

Sorry you feel that way.  I suspect you are missing  much of the point because
we don't have the simple postal lessons that Esperanto has yet.  Just the
mini-lesson (which I think I sent you email - did you attempt it?)

No Lojban is not as easy to learn as the 10 postal lessons of Esperanto.
You can learn the equivalent SUBSET of Lojban in about the same amount of time,
but since we haven't written such polished teaching materials, you have to
work a bit more at it.  But Nick Nicholas, the most prolific writer on the
net, is also an Esperantist leader, and he found himself able to learn
Lojban in 1 weekend, since having learned one conlang, he knew what questions
to ask.

But you will find that those 10 postal lessons ARE a subset of Esperanto.
You will be able to read a lot of stuff with them, if you have a dictionary
(we're still writing our first one of these), but if you want to write and
translate, you will find that you need a much more intense course of study,
one almost certainly as complex as a similar Lojban course.  You might only
find it easier because you will recognize more of the roots on sight, and
MAYBE to the limited extent you can apply your memories of English grammar
formal rules or detailed study of a European language.

The convulted stuff that is being discussed on the LOjban List texts are not
simple postings like those on soc.cult.esp.  Nick is translating ancient
Greek literature (and working on Plato - among the heaviest of philosophers);
Cowan just translated a chunk of Beowolf from the Anglo Saxon.  You have a
legit complaint if you say we aren't posting simple stuff for beginners to
read on Lojban List, and if you decide you want to wait until more such simple
text exists before investigating further, I don't blame you.  I'd like to see
more people write simple stuff.  But the problem is that the people who are
interested in Lojban aren't satisfied with tackling easy things, and the fact
that they are able to do this convoluted stuff within a few months of study
should indicate to you that it is possible and not too difficult (not merely
that Lojban is convoluted or for twisted minds).

I hope you will reconsider us, when we've gotten more solid materials for
beginners together.  And I will urge more beginners who are being frustrated
by the complexity of the stuff being presented on Lojban List to speak up
BEFORE you get fed up.  Ask questions - lots of them.  People are willing
to answer them, indeed WANT to answer them.  But we move past the beginner
point so quickly that it is hard to invent them ourselves.

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