Difference between revisions of "Lojban"
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Lojban is a constructed language. “Lojban was not designed primarily to be an international language, however, but rather as a linguistic tool for studying and understanding language. Its linguistic and computer applications make Lojban unique among international languages...” ([http://www.lojban.org/tiki/tiki-index.php?page=What+Is+Lojban%3F%2C+The+Book&bl NC:LojPer], page 15 par 1) -- the entire book is available also online, see the very bottom of the linked page. |
Lojban is a constructed language. “Lojban was not designed primarily to be an international language, however, but rather as a linguistic tool for studying and understanding language. Its linguistic and computer applications make Lojban unique among international languages...” ([http://www.lojban.org/tiki/tiki-index.php?page=What+Is+Lojban%3F%2C+The+Book&bl NC:LojPer], page 15 par 1) -- the entire book is available also online, see the very bottom of the linked page. |
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− | It is an artificial language (and, unlike the more a posteriori Esperanto, it is rather of an a priori taste ([http://www.lojban.org/files/why-lojban/moody.txt Moo:LojPer])). It is a human language, capable of expressing everything. Its grammar uses (among others) things taken from mathematical logic, e.g. predicate-like structures. Although its does not make use [[combinatory logic]] directly (even, from a combinatory logic / functional programming point of view, it uses also rather imperative ideas), but it may give hints and analogies, how combinatory logic can be useful in [[Libraries and tools/Linguistics|linguistics]]. I like searching Lojban examples illustrating the learned statements when learning about [[Libraries and tools/Linguistics/Applicative universal grammar|applicative universal grammar]]. |
+ | It is an artificial language (and, unlike the more a posteriori Esperanto, it is It is rather of an a priori taste ([http://www.lojban.org/files/why-lojban/moody.txt Moo:LojPer])). It is a human language, capable of expressing everything. Its grammar uses (among others) things taken from mathematical logic, e.g. predicate-like structures. Although its does not make use [[combinatory logic]] directly (even, from a combinatory logic / functional programming point of view, it uses also rather imperative ideas), but it may give hints and analogies, how combinatory logic can be useful in [[Libraries and tools/Linguistics|linguistics]]. I like searching Lojban examples illustrating the learned statements when learning about [[Libraries and tools/Linguistics/Applicative universal grammar|applicative universal grammar]]. |
See [http://www.lojban.org its official homepage here]. |
See [http://www.lojban.org its official homepage here]. |
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| <math>x_4</math> |
| <math>x_4</math> |
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|} |
|} |
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+ | |||
+ | <code>mi cu tavla do la lojban. la lojban. vau</code> |
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The word <code>ri</code> helps us avoiding repeating the argument of predicate in this case: |
The word <code>ri</code> helps us avoiding repeating the argument of predicate in this case: |
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<code>mi cu tavla do la lojban. ri vau</code> |
<code>mi cu tavla do la lojban. ri vau</code> |
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− | I think, it is a rather imperative solution, compared to the <math>\mathbf W</math> combinator of [[combinatory logic]], but in this case, it has the same effect. If Lojban used combinators, I should write (using the elementary duplicator <math>\mathbf W</math>): |
+ | I think, it is a rather imperative solution (using some notion of state / memory), compared to the <math>\mathbf W</math> combinator of [[combinatory logic]], but in this case, it has the same effect. If Lojban used combinators, I should write (using the elementary duplicator <math>\mathbf W</math>): |
− | <math>\mathbf W</math>(<code>mi cu tavla do</code>) <code>la lojban.</code> |
+ | <math>\mathbf W</math>(<code>mi cu tavla do</code>) <code>la lojban. vau</code> |
− | + | It seems to me even better to modify only the predicate directly, not an arbitrary subexpression of the sentence -- if it is possible. Thus the deferred combinator <math>\mathbf W_{\left(2\right)}</math> helps us even more here: |
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− | <code>mi cu</code> (<math>\mathbf W_{\left(2\right)}</math> <code>tavla</code>) <code>do la lojban.</code> |
+ | <code>mi cu</code> (<math>\mathbf W_{\left(2\right)}</math> <code>tavla</code>) <code>do la lojban. vau</code> |
<math>\mathbf W</math>-sequences could be used also for avoiding the many-many repeating zo'e words (of course, if Lojban used combinators): |
<math>\mathbf W</math>-sequences could be used also for avoiding the many-many repeating zo'e words (of course, if Lojban used combinators): |
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What could help us in lambda calculus? |
What could help us in lambda calculus? |
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− | :<math>\lambda f x . f x |
+ | :<math>\lambda f x y . f x y y y</math> |
+ | |||
− | <code>mi cu</code> (<math>\left(\lambda f x . f x |
+ | <code>mi cu</code> (<math>\left(\lambda f x y . f x y y y\right)</math> <code>tavla</code>) <code>zo'e vau</code> |
− | In [[combinatory logic]], <math>\mathbf W^ |
+ | In [[combinatory logic]], <math>\mathbf W^2_{\;\left(1\right)}</math> makes that (let us note the little slant of the indices: powered combinator <math>\mathbf W^2</math> is deferred here, not deferred combinator <math>\mathbf W_{\left(1\right)}</math> is powered!): |
− | <code>mi cu</code> (<math>\mathbf W^ |
+ | <code>mi cu</code> (<math>\mathbf W^2_{\;\left(1\right)}</math> <code>tavla</code>) <code>zo'e vau</code> |
Lojban does not use combinators this way, it uses also rather imperative solutions. Despite of that, Lojban makes me think of [[combinatory logic]] and [[Libraries and tools/Linguistics/Applicative universal grammar|applicative universal grammar]]. |
Lojban does not use combinators this way, it uses also rather imperative solutions. Despite of that, Lojban makes me think of [[combinatory logic]] and [[Libraries and tools/Linguistics/Applicative universal grammar|applicative universal grammar]]. |
Revision as of 21:27, 7 August 2006
Introduction
Lojban is a constructed language. “Lojban was not designed primarily to be an international language, however, but rather as a linguistic tool for studying and understanding language. Its linguistic and computer applications make Lojban unique among international languages...” (NC:LojPer, page 15 par 1) -- the entire book is available also online, see the very bottom of the linked page.
It is an artificial language (and, unlike the more a posteriori Esperanto, it is It is rather of an a priori taste (Moo:LojPer)). It is a human language, capable of expressing everything. Its grammar uses (among others) things taken from mathematical logic, e.g. predicate-like structures. Although its does not make use combinatory logic directly (even, from a combinatory logic / functional programming point of view, it uses also rather imperative ideas), but it may give hints and analogies, how combinatory logic can be useful in linguistics. I like searching Lojban examples illustrating the learned statements when learning about applicative universal grammar.
See its official homepage here.
Analogies of combinatory logic combinators
The Lojban sentence examples are taken from (NC:WhLoj, Chapter 3. Diagrammed Summary of Lojban Grammar). Sometimes, I modified the sentences slightly, if the combinatory logic analogies made it necessary.
Predicates
Somebody | sells | something | to sombebody | for some price |
predicate |
A little vocabulary:
mi
- I
vecnu
- sell
do
- you
ta
- that
Syntax:
mi
|
cu
|
vecnu
|
ta
|
do
|
zo'e
|
vau
|
predicate |
cu
and vau
are separators (and they are optional).
zo'e
is only a place-keeper: the argument whose place is fiiled in by it is not specified.
Filipping
ta
|
cu
|
se vecnu
|
do
|
mi
|
zo'e
|
vau
|
predicate |
Comparing vecnu
and se vecnu
, it is of taste combinator of combinatory logic.
Comparing structure:
cu
|
predicate | vau
| ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
do
|
vecnu
|
ta
|
mi
|
zo'e
| ||
ta
|
se vecnu
|
mi
|
Repeating
Words mi
, do
correspond to English personal pronouns I (me), you. Lojban has other similar words, e.g. ri
. Word ri
fills in an argument (of the predicate) which repeats the previous argument.
Somebody | talks | to sombebody | about something | in some language |
predicate |
A little vocabulary:
mi
- I
tavla
- talk
do
- you
la lojban.
- Lojban
Syntax:
mi
|
cu
|
tavla
|
do
|
la lojban.
|
la lojban.
|
vau
|
predicate |
mi cu tavla do la lojban. la lojban. vau
The word ri
helps us avoiding repeating the argument of predicate in this case:
mi cu tavla do la lojban. ri vau
I think, it is a rather imperative solution (using some notion of state / memory), compared to the combinator of combinatory logic, but in this case, it has the same effect. If Lojban used combinators, I should write (using the elementary duplicator ):
(mi cu tavla do
) la lojban. vau
It seems to me even better to modify only the predicate directly, not an arbitrary subexpression of the sentence -- if it is possible. Thus the deferred combinator helps us even more here:
mi cu
( tavla
) do la lojban. vau
-sequences could be used also for avoiding the many-many repeating zo'e words (of course, if Lojban used combinators):
I talk.
(Not specified, to whom, about what topic, in what language!)
mi cu tavla zo'e zo'e zo'e vau
What could help us in lambda calculus?
mi cu
( tavla
) zo'e vau
In combinatory logic, makes that (let us note the little slant of the indices: powered combinator is deferred here, not deferred combinator is powered!):
mi cu
( tavla
) zo'e vau
Lojban does not use combinators this way, it uses also rather imperative solutions. Despite of that, Lojban makes me think of combinatory logic and applicative universal grammar.
References
- NC:WhLoj
- Nicholas, Nick and Cowan, John (ed.): What is Lojban? Logical Language Group, 2003. Available also online, see the very bottom of the linked page.
- Moo:LojPer
- Todd Moody: Lojban in Perspective. Available from here, part of Lojban's official homepage