History: conversation guide

Source of version: 50 (current)

!__Conversation Guide__

This is (unofficially) the official(est) Conversation Guide to Lojban, otherwise known as {la selsnu gidva}. Right now, as you can see, we're still in the infancy stages of development, but please feel free to contribute. The guide can't grow without your blood, sweat and tears!
!The purpose and thought behind this page.
The idea behind the 'conversation guide' is to create a listing of topics from 'home items' to 'business place' to 'sports' and so on. In each list can include subtopics such as 'kitchen and cooking' in 'home' and 'American Football' under 'sports'. There are several goals behind this idea:
#To encourage more conversation in Lojban by providing a comprehensive list of possible words and phrases that may come up or be needed when discussing a particular topic.
#To expand the vocabulary to necessary fields of discussion (as up until recently there was no listed/official word for 'kitchen', and there still exist many objects for which we have no names that are just as common).
#To provide a way to accomplish items one and two in a fun and entertaining way for everybody involved.
**Anybody new to the language can search for a desired word and place a request in the appropriate list if one is not found.
**Anybody branching out to more distant topics (such as music, programming, architecture, fashion, or popular media) can participate by expanding the vocabulary in their field of experience or interest.

!A list of currently covered topics.
This is a basic list of broad topics which started with the proposal to the Lojban list and has since expanded drastically due to the grand enthusiasm of the Lojban community. Please feel free to contribute any topics, subtopics, words and word requests, and/or useful phrases.

* Amusements
**((conversation guide:analogue games and gaming|Analogue Games and Gaming)) +
**((conversation guide:sports and spectating|Sports and Spectating))+
**((conversation guide:video games and gaming|Video Games and Gaming)) +
*Arts
**((conversaton guide:dance|Dance and other Artistic Flailing))
**((conversation guide:Film and Acting|Film and Acting))
**((conversation guide:literature|Literature and Reading))
**((conversation guide:music and instruments|Music and Instruments))
**((conversation guide:visual arts|Visual Arts and Gawking))
*Computers
**((conversation guide:hardware|Hardware and Kicking Things))+
**((conversation guide:internet|Internet and Self-loathing))
**((conversation guide:programming|Programmers and Programming))+
**((conversation guide:software|Software and High Blood Pressure))+
*Food
**((conversation guide:food|Dishes and Dining))
**((conversation guide:restaurants|Restaurants and Eating Out))
*Engineering
**((conversation guide:engineering materials|Materials and Making Things))
*Government
**((conversation guide:politics and law|Politics and Law))+
*Home
**((conversation guide:bathroom and hygiene|Bathroom and Hygiene)) +
**((conversation guide:common areas and furnishings|Common Areas and Furnishings))
**((conversation guide:kitchen and cooking|Kitchen and Cooking)) +
*Life
**((conversation guide:human body|The Body and Its Functions))
**((conversation guide:taxonomy|Flora and Fauna)) +
**((conversation guide:school and education|School and Education))
**((conversation guide:sex|Things Good People Weren't Meant to Discuss in Polite Discourse))
**((conversation guide:basics|Things We Learned in Primary School)) + (Seriously, any title will work here, this one really sucks.)
**((conversation guide:work|Work and the Workplace))
**((conversation guide:friends and family|Friends and Family))+
**((conversation guide:religion and spirituality|Religion and Spirituality))+
**((conversation guide:the outdoors|The Outdoors))
*Popular Media
**((conversation guide:social networking|Blogs and Social Networking))
**((conversation guide:television|TV's and Television))
*Transportation
**((conversation guide:directions and driving|Directions and Driving))
**((conversation guide:types of vehicles|Trains, Aeroplanes and Automobiles)) +

!Disclaimer.

If you're not digging the humour found throughout the guide, then you need to seriously reconsider your views on life. For those that dig it, please keep up the spirit in your contributions. Keeping a light-hearted sense of humour throughout the guide not only makes it fun to contribute, but fun to use. Keep in mind that any immature/lewd jokes are not welcome, and anything compromising the usefulness of the guide in favour of being funny is exactly that, compromising the usefulness of the guide. I hope I've set up a good example/template for further contributions and that the project spins wildly out of my control because so many people are interested in contributing. Thank you so very much to the people that have taken an interest already.

Some have pointed out that the lists do not have full definitions. Yes, I know this. We're linking back to JVS for the full definitions, notes, usage, etc. The list is meant simply to contain glosses and short, common phrases one might need during conversation. It is meant to look general, short, small, and basic as to not overwhelm or add visual noise to what is meant to be a fun and amusing project that should encourage study. Should the majority of the people using this decide or request for the definitions to be right on the page, we'll change things.

!Notes to anybody that wishes to edit:

__ALL WORDS SHOULD LINK BACK TO [http://jbovlaste.lojban.org/|JVS] ARTICLES__

Pluses are put next to topics which have enough English vocab to get started. Most sections that have been started at all seem to have enough English vocab for now. Let's start filling in the blanks with basic lojban vocabulary. Anything for which there is no word needs to be discussed on the mailing list in the [http://groups.google.com/group/lojban/t/f08484aac17ee654|Conversation Guide] topic.

THIS IS IMPORTANT:

Please examine both [http://xahlee.org/lojban/lojban.html|this ] and [http://jwodder.freeshell.org/lojban/vlagri.html|this] because they both use semantic categorisation, and we can probably just copy over a lot of it as we have yet to tackle the gimste.

We also need to, somehow, transpose ((Phrasebook|the Lojban Phrasebook)) into the project, or link into it so it's readily available along with the guide.

Also, the pages are slowly slipping into __disarray__. It's not the most important thing in the world, but somebody please come up with a __consistent__ and __appealing__ format for each page, and then make everything look that way.
!A Final Word

((...or 'Yes, I know, nine other people have already told me that.'))

It has been pointed out to me that ((Terminology|a terminology page)) exists, but I hardly find myself digging for the lojban word for the square root of negative one or how to say "triple-bypass heart surgery".  However, I do find myself trying to name various utensils in my kitchen, different dishes I prepare for dinner, the names of particular pieces of furniture, household items, and normal, plain, human words that stupid people like to use (like "pot" or "noodle" or "Screw it, lets just go out somewhere." and "I'd like a double-cheeseburger and a chocolate shake, please.").

That being said, any websites or lists that we can copy/plagiarise should be put in the above section along with the other "__this__" bits that link out to existing lists.
History: conversation guide

Source of version: 50 (current)

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