Lojban: The Logical Language

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Level 0 Book: What is Lojban?

General Information

We, the Logical Language Group, are proud to announce the publication of our new book, "What is Lojban? / .i la lojban. mo". The book is the work of many hands, but the editors are Nick Nicholas and John Cowan. It is intended as a concise introduction to Lojban, providing a taste of the language for those who may decide to take an interest in it.

Purchasing Information

The ISBN is 0-9660283-1-7; the book is distributed in the U.S. by Lightning Source, which means that any bookstore can order it. It is available from Amazon.com.

The book is a paperback, about 8-1/3 by 6-1/2 inches (212 mm by 165 mm). The list price is US$10.00.

European Websites Selling What is Lojban?

This list was graciously provided by Martin Norbäck

• adlibris.se (Sweden only, SEK 106)
• bokus.com (Sweden only, SEK 133)
• bookshop.blackwell.co.uk (£6.66)
• amazon.co.uk (£6.26)
• jpc.de (Germany, 9.10 ?)

Detailed Information

Here is a precis of the book's sections:

• The Introduction is structured as questions and answers, and provides basic information on the language and its purposes, its overall structure, its relationship to other languages, its history, and contact information for the Logical Language Group and the Lojban community.
• The Overview of Lojban Grammar is a grammar sketch, with information on phonology, morphology, and syntax, including a detailed explanation of the various Lojban technical terms used in descriptions of the language.
• The Diagrammed Grammar Summary goes into more detail about the syntax, with lots of examples and a glossary explaining the words used in the examples.
• The Linguistic Issues section consists of more questions and answers of a more technical linguistic nature, including some discussions of Lojban's possible interest as an experimental linguistics testbed.
• The Lojban Sample Texts are four short pieces with detailed glosses and smooth translations, illustrating original Lojban poetry, dialogue, and one of Aesop's fables translated from Greek.
• Finally, the Complete Pronunciation Guide explains the pronunciation of Lojban using both IPA and natural-language examples: examples are given in Arabic, Chinese, Hindi/Urdu, Russian, and Spanish.

Downloading What is Lojban?

Last modified: Mon Jun 27 23:10:47 PDT 2005

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