WikiDiscuss

WikiDiscuss


Magic Words

posts: 14214

On Mon, Nov 08, 2004 at 01:13:31PM -0800, Jorge Llamb?as wrote:
> --- Robin Lee Powell wrote:
> > > {broda ba'e si brode} would be an emphatically deleted
> > > {broda}, replaced by {brode}: i.e. {ba'e} is always (no
> > > exceptions) absorbed by the following word. The construct
> > > {ba'e si} would be an emphasized word eraser.
> >
> > I'm sorry, but no matter how many times I read that my brain
> > still treats it as an exception. SI is just *more* *important*
> > then BAhE to me, and it seems bizarre that SI wouldn't do its
> > proper job (erasing BAhE) in this case.
>
> If you say that SI has priority over everything, then it is an
> exception.

To *your* rules. Please try to remember that your rules are the new
kid on the block. :-)

> If you say that left-to-right processing has priority, then it is
> not an exception.

Oh, another thing: in left-to-right processing, BU *always* loses.
Not sure this is a bad thing, but wanted to point it out.

> But you don't consider SI more important than everything:

Never said I did.

> Having to remember the order of precedence of all the magic words,
> plus all the exceptions and counter-exceptions to that order of
> precedence, is too much trouble for what it buys us, in my
> opinion.

Whereas I have very little trouble with it, once they are all
written up and decided upon. Lots of programming experience, do ya
ken.

> > However, someone who "grew up" with your system likely wouldn't
> > feel that way. I just wanted to get it out.
>
> I don't know why you feel that SI is more important than BAhE but
> less important than ZO, other than because you have become used to
> it.

Isn't that exactly what I just said??

> I have not been able to learn the official precedence rules of
> magic words in about 10 years of doing Lojban. It is not even
> clear if there is an official set of consistent and complete
> rules.

There is most certainly *not*; this is what I'm trying to create.

> I just hope we don't end up with another unlearnable set.

My current rules are quite easy for me to learn, and as far as I
know they are consistent and complete.

Moving the learning issue to another post.

-Robin