On Feb 8, 2007, at 1:38 PM, li_sasxsek@hidden.email wrote:
> I'm studying this
> http://www.loglan.org/Loglan1/chap5.html#sec5.11
I basically see a need for two types of interrogatives. A question
particle that changes a declarative into a question like Chinese "ma" or
E-o "cxu" (in English do/does often fills this role). The other would
be a placeholder word that asks the listener to fill in the blank. This
would need to have different forms to fill the different grammatical
roles it will fill within a sentence.
Agree. So I have 'ku' for the cxu meaning. And how does this sound?
ku zi pa don to hon sila da?
Did you give the book to him?
ku zi, pa don to hon sila da?
Did YOU give the book to him?
ku zi pa ku don, to hon sila da?
Did you GIVE the book to him?
ku zi pad don to ku hon, sila da?
Did you give the BOOK to him?
But probably not. Probably better to use word order:
> to see what Loglan notions I want Ceqli to incorporate.
> First off, kyu > ku. Acts like Eo cxu or Loglan ei.
> ka calls for an argument, like Loglan hu:
> zi ten ka. zi sta ka. What do you have.
> Where are you?
I would tend to contruct this with a verb meaning "to be positioned" so
that it would be "you positioned (at) what?"
Exactly so. "sta" means "located in the customary manner"
> zi bi ka? Who are you?
This works fine.
> But, I think, I need a word for 'which,' which isn't the same thing as
asking
> for a description. Perhaps ki.
> ciq tom hon. Please take a book. ki? Which? ki hon? Which book?
I really don't see a need here from a separate word. You could still
have "ka hon?" "what/which book?" unless there is some real need to mark
this as an adjective.
You're right. Ka does the trick both ways.
> Then there's a question like?
> What book are you reading?
The same still applies here. "you read what book?"
> which, depending on context, could mean which book, or what (sort of)
book?
> If the first:
> ki hon zi gi kan? Which book are you reading?
> to zi pa don sa hon. the book you gave (me).
> If the second:
> ke hon zi gi kan? What book are you reading?
> tem kanin sa hon. A book about dogs.
Could be clarified with a compound.
you read what+theme book?
you read what+one book?
> Which would make 'ke' call for a predicate, not an argument.
> So, if I go with this, I have
> ka ki ke ku, leaving ko as a possible interrogative.
> (I said before, we don't need a 'how many' form, because like your
> 'homeni', it can be made out of 'ke'
The problem here is that in Loglan, the difference between an argument and a predicate is firm. In terse Ceqli, not so. I can't say
ka sa hon - go sa hon, to jini sa hon.
for 'what kind of book' because it also means who's or what's book. That's why I'm inclined to have an interrogative that means a predicate must be substituted So "ke sa hon" would have to be answered with a predicate. Or maybe I'm overdoing this, and you're right.
ka kayn sa hon. What kind of book ka kolor sa hon. What color of book tem ka sa hon. A book about what.
And with this looseness, I suppose we could have "ka jin" to make it who and "ka diq" to make it what, if there's any possible ambiguity.
> kesi hon zi ten? How many books do you have?
you have what-quantity book?
Yes. "Si" means that whatever it follows works as a quantifier. You can say "tanqsi cawal" for "handful of rice"
> ...
> zi vol kawa ko pani? You want coffee or water?
A general interrogative sentence marker here could make sense. Or two
sentences.
We have coffee and water.
You want what?
or
You want what of coffee or water?
Yes, I think the elegance of Loglan in this instance is at too great a price. I like that alternative.
zi fey ten kawa ha cay. ciq xwa han.
Rex May rmay@hidden.email 1-970-221-5528 Daily cartoon at: See some of my other cartoons at:
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