Re: TEXT: Real Life

[Colin Fine <C.J.Fine@BRADFORD.AC.UK>]

Rob asks:
+++++++++>
 I also notice that some people say things about email such as "do bacru"
that is not to be taken literally - must everything be literal, or is it
really understood that I didn't actually inscribe anything on an email note?
Of course your correct about cusku, I'm just asking a further question..
>+++++++++

There is a certain amount of disagreement on this question. Certainly
gismu (and, eventually, lujvo) have defined ranges of meaning, and you've got
no business going outside those ranges.
I am of the opinion that some of the gismu are defined too widely, ie
they encompass ideas that to me are disjoint and should be
expressed by separate words - my pet example is sarju, where
I regard 'sarju la lojban' as an unwarranted metaphoric extension.
But I accept that sarju, like randa, is defined with a wide range
that covers both physical and intellectual/social interactions.

There are two ways round this. One is the explicit metaphor
marker 'pe'a' (I haven't gone back and read the discussion
on this, so I'm not sure what its current grammar is, but I
know it is still there). The other is lujvo making - many lujvo
include a somewhat metaphorical extension.

Thus 'bacru' is definitely about uttering sounds, and is invalid
in net postings. Similarly ciska.
If you use ciska in talking about e-mail, I will probably understand
you (I don't know about other people), though I may point out
the inappropriateness. If you start using ciska for talking about
command lines, I will object.

Colin