Tech fix responses

[david twery <dbt@CELLAR.ORG>]

Well, let me say This about That:
(Note: Lojban /lojbo/ within slashes)

1. Explicit Elision of Places -- /xo'e/

I'm against it -- weakly. I see no need for it, since I never considered the
places within /bridi/ to be "compulsory" -- simply implicit. And, in the
example of a teleportation /klama/, I *can* imagine a route place, even if
that route is quite an abstract concept. Plus, what's the advantage in having
a /ve klama/ meaning /xe klama/, or /klama fo/ meaning /klama fu/?

I can't imagine any situation that couldn't be handled by an elision /cmavo/
if explicitness is required. I'm open to suggestions and persuasion, and I
would not be at all upset if the proposal was accepted, but am confused as to
the need for it at all. Not to be perverse, but I would probably not use it
unless-or-until I saw it in general use and fully "got" how to use it.

2. Figurative/Poetic Markers /pe'a/ and /po'a/ with /rafsi/; as /selma'o/ UI.

I like Bob's proposal. I would have argued for a larger set of figurative
markers, except that I take the broad interpretation of "tanruic ambiguity".
In fact, I'd like to think that the /gismu/ are rather ambiguous. Example
--what frequency in nanometers is /crino/, and how restricted a range does it
refer to? Since nearly all European and European-influenced cultures use the
word "heart" to refer to sentiment and emotion, especially romantic love, the
use of */pevrinsa/ would greatly simplify some (culture-centric) matters.

The use of the closing /cmavo/ /po'a/ seems a little less clear to me. For
that matter, using *pairs* of grouping words (like /nu...ku/ or /ke...kei/)
within a /lujvo/ seems a little far-out, and I haven't seen it done in
practical use. This might be a good project to try, making some utterly weird
sesquipedalian /lujvo/ including groupers, even multiple orders of 'em.

I also like the proposed use of these markers as UI /cmavo/, if only for the
reason of being able to use the scalar /cmavo/ (i.e., /cai/, /nai/). The
negation (and complementation) questions remain open, but I'm sure there will
be some use for a construction like /na'epo'e/ if only to preserve symmetry
within the language. This may also lead to a particularly gritty test of
Sapir-Whorf: we may end up *creating* a new linguistic thought pattern by
simple extension of a /selma'o/. An English-language analogy might be, if the
verb "put" was pressed into general service as an auxiliary verb to create a
new category of verb (superfective, perhaps?).

3. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window.

The discussion of the problem of looking through the window in Lojban is
primarily philosophical, IMHO. This is a case where the activity is dependant
on the object -- but this is certainly not a novel insight. One can look at
something *through* a piece of transparent glass, and one can look at
something *by means of* a video camera. With a telescope, either agency may
apply, and the proper word is dependant on nuance and context. It's a case of
"le mot juste", a stylistic consideration.

For instance -- did she come in through, a simple description, /pagre/; or
did
she come in for some purpose, using the instrumentality (/nu pilno/) of her
climbing in through the window? Has Paul McCartney shown any interest in
Lojban yet?

4. lojbab: "It has been my intent to baseline the modified rafsi list as of 1
June, which is Tuesday."

Excellent! Now I can fully recommence my efforts at writing things that
*rhyme* in Lojban. (Be afraid ... be VERY afraid ... :^) )

/co'omi'e la deived tueris/