Re: JBO: CONLANG: Conlang Travelers's Phrasebook

[Chris A Bogart <cbogart@INDRA.COM>]

The phrasebook is a great idea!  I have a few nitpicks, though...

On Fri, 8 Nov 1996, Don Wiggins wrote:

> > 2. How are you? (or similar greeting question)
>      .i do mo
>         You what-predication?

How people use vague questions like this will probably end up
being a matter of usage.  Something like "xu do gleki" or something
might work too???

> > 7. Where is...
>      .i ... zvati ma
>         ... at where?
>
> >       a. the bathroom (WC/toilet/human waste collection center)?
>        lo vimku'a
>        the excretion-room

For these to work you'll need either "cu" before "zvati" or
"ku" after each of the alternatives, otherwise you'll get
"lo vimku'a zvati ma", in which "vimku'a zvati" forms a
tanru, and the sentence no verb.

> > 8. I'm sorry.
>      .i .u'u
>         Repentance!

Hmmm... again a matter of usage, but I would think of "u'u" as
being more like "oops" -- repentent without necessarly
apologizing.  Maybe "ga'inai .u'u" or just "xenru"??

> > 12. I don't speak [language X] very well.
>       .i mi na certu lenu tavla folo jbobau
>          I not expert the-event-of talking in the Lojbanic-language

Alternatively,
  "mi na certu se jbobau" or even "mi na certu lojbo".  DOn't forget
        to use places that don't have English equivalents!

> > 14. Speak more slowly please.
>       .i e'o do masno tavla
>          Request! you slowly talk

The "do" could be optional, since it would be clear in context.  My
own lojban style tends to avoid pronouns.

> > 22. Our customs are very different from yours.
>       .i lo tcaci be mi'a lo tcaci be do frica mutce
>          The customs of us the customs of you differ much

Or, "mi'a do frica mutce lo tcaci"


co'o mi'e kris

cbogart@quetzal.com