Re: Ironic Use of Attitudinals

[Rick Nylander <rnylander@DTSI.COM>]

>>Since the attitudinals are intended to be expressions of internal
states
>>rather than statements about those internal states, a fluent speaker
>>should not use attitudinals ironically.
>
>Doesn't follow. Consider ironic use of the English humour-attitudinal
'ha
>ha', or perhaps the Yiddish attitudinal 'oy'.

Lojbab is referring to _lojban_ attitudinals as being expressions of
internal states.

>>  The fluent speaker will show
>>his feelings openly (or express the hiding of feelings perhaps).
Ironic
>>usages are by implication statements about feelings rather than ex
>>pressions
>>of them.  It takes conscious thought to express an emotion falsely or
>>ironically.
>
>Really just simple acting skills.

But the use of an acting skill is, nevertheless, using conscious thought
to express false emotions.

I interpret the refgram as saying that the listener should accept
attitudinals at face value, and that therefore the speaker should use
them as such. ("Used sincerely, not ironically.")  If someone says
{.oiro'o} in conversation, then you should look for blood.

Attitudinals constitute the meta-linguistic features that are used in
conversation such as smiles.  You can call your friend a pig, and if
they don't see you smiling, they are likely to be offended -
miscommunication has occurred.  Attitudinals allow you to inject the
smile directly into a text stream, so as to not be dependent upon facial
features, emphasis, and changes in pitch.

Attitudinals are one of the rather bizarre aspects of lojban that
attracted my attention in the first place.

Rik.