Lojban: The Logical Language

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Mini-Lesson Exercises

In the following exercises, the numbers on the exercises refer to the section number where the key point of the exercise was explained.

1.   a.  Look at the example sentence in the diagram for Section 1.  What
     part of speech are "John" and "Sam"?  What part of speech is used to
     describe the relationship between them?


     b.  In Lojban, what is the whole statement called?


2.   Where can you find the place structure for a gismu given?


3.   a.  What English letter corresponds to the sound of the Lojban
     apostrophe?


     b.  Which Lojban vowel is never stressed?

     Which syllable in the following words is stressed?

     c.  cmalu

     d.  brivla

     e.  bardymau

     f.  bardyma'i

     g.  mai


4.   Translate the following into English:

     a.  mi tavla do ti ma


     b.  do tavla mi ta tu


     c.  do tavla zo'e ma zo'e


     d.  do tavla ta zo'e ti


     e.  mi tavla zo'e zo'e zo'e


     f.  zo'e tavla zo'e mi zo'e


     g.  mi tavla ta do ti

    Translate the following into Lojban:

     h.  Someone talks to me about you in some language.


     i.  This person talks to that person about me in some language.


     j.  Who is talking to you about me in this language?


     k.  You talk to me about you in this language.


     l.  Who is talking to whom about whom in what language?


5.   Rewrite the Lojban sentences given in section 4, as well as the ones
     you wrote for section 4, ellipsizing as many "zo'e"s as you can
     without changing the meaning of the sentences.  (Reminder: only
     trailing "zo'e"s may be dropped in this way.)

     a.

     b.

     c.

     d.

     e.

     f.

     g.

     h.

     i.

     j.

     k.

     l.

6.   a.  Rewrite the sentence  "mi tavla da ti ma"  in four different forms
     by changing the position of the selbri.

     -

     -

     -

     -

     b.  According to the principles given in section 6, how many different
     forms can the sentence  "mi tavla do"  have?  Do not count any
     variations made by adding "zo'e"s to the end of the sentence.

     c.  How many forms can  "mi klama ta ti ma
     do"  have?  The selbri here is "klama".


7.   Show the "se" forms of the following bridi.

          Examples:
          mi tavla do ti           answer:   do se tavla mi ti
          do klama ma ti zo'e      answer:   ma se klama do ti zo'e

     a.  do tavla mi


     b.  ti tavla do ma


     c.  da klama ti ta zo'e mi


     d.  mi tavla mi


     e.  do catlu tu


     Show the "te" forms of the following bridi.

          Examples:
          mi klama ta ti           answer:   ti te klama ta mi
          do tavla mi ma zo'e      answer:   ma te tavla mi do zo'e
          do mi ma zo'e tavla      answer:   ma mi do zo'e te tavla
          (Don't be frightened by this one.  The selbri is in a different
          position, which does not affect the order of the sumti.  The "te"
          simply switches the first and third sumti.

     f.  do klama mi ta zo'e


     g.  ti ta tu zo'e tavla


     h.  mi tavla zo'e do ti


     i.  da klama tu zo'e zo'e


     j.  mi tu klama ta zo'e do


8.   Give a translation of the following selbri.

          Examples:
          sutra cutci      _s₁_ is a fast shoe
          cutra se tavla   _s₁_ is a fast talked-to person/thing, talked to
                           by _s₂_ about subject
			   _s₃_ in language _s₄_

     a.  cutci tavla


     b.  cutci te tavla


     c.  se tavla cutci


     d.  sutra cutci ve tavla


     Definition:  blanu     _s₁_ is blue/is a blue thing.

     e.  blanu cutci


     f.  sutra blanu


     g.  tavla blanu



9.   Translate the following sumti.

          Examples:
          le cutci         the shoe
          le ve tavla      the language (someone talks in)
          le sutra tavla   the fast shoe

     a.  le te tavla


     b.  le se tavla


     c.  le sutra


     d.  le cutci tavla


     e.  le blanu te tavla


     f.  le sutra cutci



10.  In which of the following can the "cu" be dropped without changing the
     meaning:

     a.  le sutra cutci cu tavla

     b.  mi cu sutra

     c.  mi do le cutci cu tavla

     d.  mi le cutci do cu tavla

     e.  mi do cu tavla le cutci


11.  Translate the following common English names from Lojban to English.


     a.  normen.

     b.  meris.

     c.  kar,l.

     d.  tcarlis.

     e.  ker,l.

     Transcribe these names into Lojban:

     f.  Tom

     g.  Ray

     h.  Sylvia

     i.  Marilyn

     Which of the following are legal Lojban names?  Suggest a possible
     change for each invalid name that would make it legal.

     j.  ralf.

     k.  alan.

     l.  lora.

     m.  mark.

     n.  niks,n.

     o.  konendoil.

     Lojbanize the following names (these are more challenging)

     p.  Carla

     q.  Herblock

     r.  Lana

     s.  Billy

     t.  D'Oyly Carte

     u.  Poindexter

12.  Translate the following sentences:

     a.  ko cutci


     b.  doi bab. ko kurji mi


     c.  ko se tavla mi


     d.  ko tavla ko le cutci la lojban.


     e.  ko kurji ti


     f.  mi ko do tavla


     g.  ko kurji mi


     h.  mi kurji ko


     i.  ko sutra kurji le cutci


13.  (No exercises)

14.  Give the meanings of the following attitudinals:

     a.  .iusai

     b.  .a'ocai

     c.  .uinai

     d.  .e'oru'e

     e.  .oicu'i

     f.  .a'o

     g.  .oi

     h.  .ua.oiru'e

     i.  .uinairu'e

     j.  .a'onaicai

     k.  .a'onai.uucai


     Translate the following sentences:

        Examples:
        .e'o ko sutra                   Please, be fast!
        .uasai mi cutci                 Aha!  I'm a shoe!
        .a'o do mi tavla le cutci .iu   (I hope) you are talking to me
                                        about the shoe (I love the shoe!)

     l.  .ui do tavla mi


     m.  .uacai le cutci cu tavla mi


     n.  ko .uu se tavla mi


     o.  .e'o ko sutra tavla mi le cutci


     p.  .e'ocai ko mi .uu kurji



15.  Please answer in Lojban:

          Examples:
          xu do tavla      mi tavla
          xu do kanro      go'i
          xu do cutci      mi na cutci

     a.  xu do tavla mi


     b.  do le cutci xu cu kurji


     c.  xu le cutci cu sutra


     d.  xu mi sutra


     e.  do mi tavla le sutra cutci xu


     f.  xu do tavla mi la lojban. la lojban.


     g.  xu zo'e zo'e do te tavla la lojban.

Send your answers and comments. We do not have an answer key, unfortunately, but your answers and comments will assist in a forthcoming revision of this minilesson.. [email protected]

Last modified: Mon Jun 27 23:13:37 PDT 2005

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