WikiDiscuss

On Mon, 24 May 2004, Robin Lee Powell wrote:

> I'm going to go through and turn these into English. If this bothers
> the authors, they are welcome to say so.

Quite good.

>
> > je'eru'e .i ma mupli lo nu djica
> > lu 2 broda li'u
> > fa'u lu loi 2 broda li'u
> > fa'i lu lo 2 broda li'u
>
> xod:
> Uhhh, OK. What is an example illustrating the event of desiring
> I don't follow that, btw:
> "2 broda"
> and repsectively "loi 2 broda"
> reciprocal of?? "lo 2 broda"
>
> I'm assuming that both %22fa'u%22 and %22fa'i%22 were more-or-less intended to
> be jo'u or fa'u or similar. xod?

Whoops. fa'i should be fa'u.

> > > lu lo tu'o djacu cu ta'e litki li'u
> > >i lo nu zo lo basti zo loi cu na sidju lo nu jimpe
>
> xorxes:
> more examples
> "lo tu'o djacu cu ta'e litki"
> I have *no* idea what to do with %22lo tu'o djacu%22. The
> nothing-water?
> "lo" substituting for "loi" doesn't help understanding.
>
>
> > .i .i'e pilno zo tu'o noi ko .e'o stidi tecu'u byfy
>
> I approve of your use of "tu'o"; please suggest it to the BPFK.
>
> Yes, please do; what are you talking about?

tu'o doesn't mean zero, but is a number that means no number of
applicable. tu'o goes where a xo would deserve na'i. Substances are
uncountable; we can count arbitrary chunks (3 gallons, 8 grams) but the
chunks themselves don't obey expected numerical properties (one blob of
water, plus another, equals still only one blob.)

mu'o mi'e xod

--
"The Americans promised freedom and prosperity; what's this? Go up to
their headquarters, at one of those checkpoints where they point their
guns at you, and tell them that you hate them as much as Saddam, and see
what they do to you," said Mohammad Saleh, 39, a building contractor.
"The only difference is that Saddam would kill you in private, where the
Americans will kill you in public."