11.9. Minor abstraction types

The following cmavo are discussed in this section:

li'i

NU

experience abstractor

si'o

NU

concept abstractor

su'u

NU

general abstractor

There are three more abstractors in Lojban, all of them little used so far. The abstractor li'i expresses experience:

Example 11.58. 

mi morji le li'i mi verba
I remember the experience-of (my being-a-child)

The abstractor si'o expresses a mental image, a concept, an idea:

Example 11.59. 

mi nelci le si'o la lojban. cu mulno
I enjoy the concept-of that-named Lojban   being-complete.

Finally, the abstractor su'u is a vague abstractor, whose meaning must be grasped from context:

Example 11.60. 

ko zgana le su'u le ci smacu cu bajra
you [imperative] observe the abstract-nature-of the three mice   running

See how the three mice run!


All three of these abstractors have an x2 place. An experience requires an experiencer, so the place structure of li'i is:

li'i x1 is the experience of (the bridi) as experienced by x2

Similarly, an idea requires a mind to hold it, so the place structure of si'o is:

si'o x1 is the idea/concept of (the bridi) in the mind of x2

Finally, there needs to be some way of specifying just what sort of abstraction su'u is representing, so its place structure is:

su'u x1 is an abstract nature of (the bridi) of type x2

The x2 place of su'u allows it to serve as a substitute for any of the other abstractors, or as a template for creating new ones. For example,

Example 11.61. 

le nu mi klama
the event-of my going

can be paraphrased as

Example 11.62. 

le su'u mi klama kei be lo fasnu
the abstract-nature-of (my going)   of-type an event

and there is a book whose title might be rendered in Lojban as:

Example 11.63. 

le su'u la .iecuas.
the abstract-nature-of (that-named Jesus
kuctai selcatra kei
is-an-intersect-shape type-of-killed-one )
be lo sa'ordzifa'a
of-type a slope-low-direction
ke nalmatma'e sutyterjvi
type-of non-motor-vehicle speed-competition

The Crucifixion of Jesus Considered As A Downhill Bicycle Race


Note the importance of using kei after su'u when the x2 of su'u (or any other abstractor) is being specified; otherwise, the be lo ends up inside the abstraction bridi.