Re: [LANGDEV] compounding

[And Rosta <a.rosta@uclan.ac.uk>]

Rex:
> While I'm asking questions, has anybody found a really good way to
> distinguish compounds from modifier-modified strings?  A really good
> _unambiguous_ way?

Yes. If I were doing a reformed Lojlan, I would adopt the following
system:

1. Cmavo are C-V.
2. Gismu are C-C-V.
3. Lujvo formed from C1-C2-V + C3-C4-V are C1-C2-V-C5-C3-C4-V.
   Since the meaning of a lujvo is more than the sum of its parts, it
   is fitting that this extra specificity be signalled by the extra
   C5. This also allows many lujvo to be formed from the same gismu.
   C5 has the function of Lojban {zei}.
4. Tanru are brivla + tanru-linking-cmavo + brivla. I.e. a mere
   concatenation of brivla does not signal a tanru.
5. Brivla + brivla is construed as logical conjunction.

In Livagian, which, as you know, is an artlang-cum-loglang rendition
of a loglang-cum-natlang, there are no rules for forming compounds or
for any other kind of derivational morphology. If the meaning of a
compound is fully predictable from the meaning of its parts, then the
compound is not necessary in the first place. If the meaning is only
partly guessable from its parts then it doesn't really matter whether
it's clear which parts a compound is made of. In Livagian you create a
new word by whatever means you like - you can toss in some
recognizable components if you like, but the only absolute rules are
that the creation must be phonologically licit and must not produce
homophony.

--And