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Re: [saweli] NSM and other questions

In a message dated 4/17/2009 07:37:29 Eastern Daylight Time, veoler@hidden.email writes:


"resu bavak" then? My impression of NSM is that it is a generic noun,
not plural. (Shouldn't "bavasu" be synonymous to "resu bavak", since
human beings are persons?)


It's possible that NSM PEOPLE is generic, rather than plural.  I've always had doubts about ram's translation of "humanity" as Latejami "lubecami" (Saweli "bavasu").  Perhaps this difficulty with translating "people" is a symptom.

"People", to me, can include more than humans, although in reality, such non-human people are rare, if they exist.  But aliens can be called people, robots and  androids can be artificial people.  "Data" on Star Trek is a person, although also a machine.  So no term with "bavas/bavak" as a component would be broad enough to encompass the meaning of "people", whereas "res" is specifically "person, individual, someone, anyone, sentient being", i.e., not dependent on being human, or even humanoid.  
You are right that (all) human beings are persons, but not all persons are human beings.

For now, I still think bare "resu" is best for NSM PEOPLE.

"Nobility" is "resubosi", in the plural, so perhaps "bavasi" would be better for 'humanity'.

stevo