History: BPFK Section: Grammatical Pro-sumti

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Proposed Definitions

Proposed Definition of ce'u

ce'u (KOhA8)
Abstraction variable indicator. ce'u is a pro-sumti (meaning it takes the place of a fully-specified sumti). ce'u indicates that the place it fills is considered to be a variable place that can be filled by other data. ce'u makes sense only inside abstraction clauses. In particular, ce'u is almost solely used in ka, although si'o, du'u and su'u clauses can make some sense with ce'u. ce'u basically means "this abstraction refers to a relationship in which the place(s) marked with ce'u can be filled as needed", so that lo ka ce'u broda is "the property of being/doing broda". If a ka abstraction has no explicit ce'u, the left-most unfilled space is assumed to contain an elided ce'u, unless context strongly suggests that the ce'u should go in another place, or that there should be more than one. In a si'o abstraction, all unfilled places are assumed to contain ce'u. In terms of the Lamba calculus, ce'u is both Lamba and a variable, i.e. Lambda(x). Each new ce'u is a new variable. To bind multiple places to the same Lambda variable, use ce'u goi ko'a or similar and scatter the bound variables as you like. You can also use ce'u xi pa xi pa to refer to the first ce'u in the current bridi; increase the second pa for later ce'u in the current bridi. You can also use ri and so on, or cy. In the case of nested abstractions, ce'u or ce'u xi pa is a normal, new ce'u variable, but ce'u xi re refers to the first ce'u in the next outer-most abstraction, and so on for higher numbers. If there is more than one, use another xi, so that ce'u xi re xi ci is the third ce'u in the next outer-most abstraction.

Examples of ce'u Usage


la djan. cu zmadu la djordj. le ka ce'u prami mi
John is greater than George in the property of loving me.

la alis zenba le ka cfipu ce'u
Alice increases in the property being confused.
Confused by some situation unspecified.

ku'i viku le rokci cu na dukse leka ce'u glare
However, nearby the rock is not excessive in the property of being hot.

Proposed Definition of ke'a

ke'a (KOhA7)
Relativized it. ke'a is a pro-sumti (meaning it takes the place of a fully-specified sumti). ke'a is only used inside relative clauses, where it indicates the place in the relative clause's bridi that the speaker intends have apply to the sumti the relative clause is attached to. ke'a can generally be represented by the English word "it". In the case of nested relative clauses, ke'a or ke'a xi pa refers to the inner-most sumti to which the relative clause containing it is attached. ke'a xi re refers to the next outer-most relative clause attached sumti, and so on for higher numbers.

Examples of ke'a Usage


le stizu poi ke'a srana mi cu blanu
The chair which it pertains to me is blue.
My chair is blue.

sruri le botpi cnebo fa lo pelji tcita noi lei valsi li'o cu prina ke'a
All around the bottle necks where paper labels, which the words ... were printed on them.

mi troci co facki loi bitmu poi lakne fa lenu ke'a jai rinka lonu mi farlu
I'm trying to discover a wall which it is probable that it will cause me to fall.

Proposed Definition of ma

ma (KOhA7)
Sumti question. ma is a pro-sumti (meaning it takes the place of a fully-specified sumti). ma is the sumti question marker, and represents, in many cases, any of the English words what, who, where, why, when, and how. Specifically, it turns the entire bridi into a question, and requests that the listener provide a sumti as an answer. The sumti

response should fill the place where ma was in the original bridi in such a way as to have a true bridi result from the combination. To reject the basis of a question (i.e., to indicate that there is no value that could make that bridi true), use no da. A more extreme rejection of the presuppositions or implicatures involved in a question is to reply with na'i. A bridi with more than one ma should be responded to with an unconnected string of sumti.

Examples of ma Usage


le verba vi ma pu cadzu le bisli
The child near what walked on the ice?
Where on the ice did the child walk?

facki fi ba'e ma
Discovered about WHAT?

mi ma ba lifri
What will I experience?

ta'i ma do cilre la lojban
How are you learning Lojban?

mu'i ma do tavla le si'o minji prenu
Why are you talking about machine-persons?

ma fo ma mrilu
''Who sent mail to who?'

do pu salci ca ma
When did you celebrate?

Proposed Definition of zi'o

zi'o (KOhA7)
Nonexistent it. zi'o is gramatically a pro-sumti, meaning it fills a sumti place, but unlike other pro-sumti zi'o actually removes the place it fills from the bridi it is in entirely. A bridi with zi'o in it actually represents a completely different relationship, one with one less element being related.

Examples of zi'o Usage


loi jmive cu se zbasu zi'o loi selci
Living things are made of cells.
The "maker" place of zbasu has been removed, so a maker is neither denied nor asserted.

lo pinsi be zi'o na se sarcu lo vimcu
Pencils do not require a remover.
Asserting that, regardless of how the pencil does its marking, the concept of pencil does not require there to be an eraser.

lo cmene be zi'o cu zvati je jundi do
A name (regardless of whether some thing is actually being named or not) is attending and attentive to you.

Proposed Definition of zo'e

zo'e (KOhA7)
Unspecif it. zo'e is a pro-sumti (meaning it takes the place of a fully-specified sumti). It represents an elliptical or unspecified value. It has some value which is irrelevant or obvious in the current context. All empty places in Lojban are implicitely filled with zo'e, making it (by far) the most-used word in the language, in a sense. zo'e can represent, or be replaced with, just about anything. The important exceptions are no da, which is equivalent to putting na in front of the selbri of the bridi in question and hence alters the meaning completely, zi'o, which utterly changes the nature of the bridi to one which has a different place structure, and ma, which turns a statement into a question. zo'e can represent a referant of any complexity. To fully specify the thing represented by zo'e may require very complex Lojban, including abstractions, relative clauses, relative sumtcita, and combinations thereof.

Examples of zo'e Usage


Note that, technically, every single bridi without every place filled in is a usage of zo'e.

do tavla mi ta zo'e
I talk to you about something unspecified.

.e'o ko mi jungau le du'u .ei mi klama zo'e ti makau
Please, tell me how I should get there from here?
"there" is being used to gloss zo'e in this case.

ko bandu ledo skami zo'e
Defend your computer from threats!

Proposed Definition of zu'i

zu'i (KOhA7)
Typical it. zu'i is a pro-sumti (meaning it takes the place of a fully-specified sumti). zu'i represents some value that is typical for the bridi place it fills. It can represent sumti of any complexity, including abstractions, relative clauses, relative sumtcita, and combinations thereof, but whatever it represents must be typical for the bridi in question. If the bridi relationship does not actually hold for any typical thing in the place filled by zu'i, then the presence of zu'i in that place makes the bridi false. Lojban constructions that zu'i explicitely cannot match include no da, which is equivalent to putting na in front of the selbri of the bridi in question and hence alters the meaning completely, zi'o, which utterly changes the nature of the bridi to one which has a different place structure, and ma, which turns a statement into a question. None of these can be typical place fillers in any case.

Examples of zu'i Usage


mi klama le bartu be le zdani le nenri be le zdani zu'i zu'i
I go to the outside of the house from the inside of the house by the typical route and means.
We can't know what the typical route is without knowing (at least) the layout of the house, but the last zu'i probably can't be anything other than lo nu cadzu, which is "walking".

le du'u da srana de cu roroi mintu le du'u da ckini de zu'i
X pertains to Y is always identical to X is related to Y with a typical type of relationship.
This sentence is actually a meta-linguistic statement about the nature of two Lojban gismu, srana and ckini, and as such loses essentially all meaning in translation.

bliku fi na'ebo zu'i
A block with other than the typical number of sides.
Presumably the typical value is six (a cube).

Notes

  • I can't see formal definitions doing any good here. Anyone disagree?

Impact

  • None that I am aware of.

BPFK Poll: Grammatical Pro-sumti

BPFK Poll: Grammatical Pro-sumti
  • I agree with the current contents of BPFK Section: Grammatical Pro-sumti
  • I do not agree with the current contents of BPFK Section: Grammatical Pro-sumti
View Results
(Votes: 4)

History

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Fri 22 of Aug, 2014 11:16 GMT Ilmen from 95.210.209.219 Minor formatting fix. 22
Fri 22 of Aug, 2014 11:12 GMT Ilmen from 95.210.209.219 Formatting. 21
Fri 22 of Aug, 2014 11:09 GMT Ilmen from 95.210.209.219 Formatting. 20
Fri 22 of Aug, 2014 11:05 GMT Ilmen from 95.210.209.219 Adding box formatting + See Also + Keywords. 19
Tue 10 of Jun, 2014 03:29 GMT mukti from 68.173.146.212 18
Sat 25 of Dec, 2010 08:36 GMT lindarthebard from 166.191.123.177 17
Mon 06 of Dec, 2010 06:59 GMT lindarthebard from 32.174.244.207 16
Thu 02 of Dec, 2010 00:37 GMT lindarthebard from 32.172.221.37 15
Fri 27 of Aug, 2004 21:46 GMT rlpowell from 198.6.50.155 Moved ce'u to another section. 14
Wed 25 of Aug, 2004 18:45 GMT rlpowell from 198.6.50.155 13
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