The Lojban connectives form a system (as the title of this chapter
suggests), regular and predictable, whereas natural-language connectives
are rather less systematic and therefore less predictable.
This table means that if the first sentence stated is true, and the second
sentence stated is true, then the result of the truth function is also
true. The same is true for every other possible combination of truth values
except the one where both the first and the second sentences are false,
in which case the truth value of the result is also false.
Suppose that ``John is a man'' is true (and ``John is not a man'' is false), and
that ``James is a woman'' is false (and ``James is not a woman'' is true).
Then the truth table tells us that
Skeptics may work out the detailed truth tables for themselves.
More precisely:
Here we have two separate Lojban bridi, ``la djan. nanmu'' and ``la djeimyz.
ninmu''. These bridi are connected by ``.ija'', the ijek for the truth function
A. The ``.i'' portion of the ijek tells us that we are dealing with separate
sentences here. Similarly, we can now say:
So to express the truth table FTTF, which requires O with either of
the two bridi negated (not both), we can say either:
The meaning of both Example 4.5 and Example 4.6 is the same as that of:
Here is another example:
Since James is not a woman (by our assertions in Section 1), the English
sentence ``John is a man if James is a woman'' seems to be neither true nor
false, since it assumes something which is not true. It turns out to be
most convenient to treat this ``if'' as TTFT, which on investigation means
that Example 4.8 is true. Example 4.9, however, is equally true:
Some more examples of forethought bridi connection are:
It is worth emphasizing that Example 5.5 does not assert that James is
(or is not) a woman. The ``gu'' which indicates that ``la djeimyz. ninmu''
may be true or false is unfortunately rather remote from the bridi thus
affected.
Perhaps the most important of the truth functions commonly expressed in
forethought is TFTT, which can be paraphrased as ``if
Causality is discussed in far more detail in Chapter 9.
Example 5.8 and Example 5.9 illustrates a truth function, FTTF, which needs
to negate either the first or the second bridi. We already understand how
to negate the first bridi:
Further examples:
Here only a single sumti differs between the two bridi. Lojban does not
require that both bridi be expressed in full. Instead, a single bridi can
be given which contains both of the different sumti and uses a logical
connective from a different selma'o to combine the two sumti:
Any ek may be used between sumti, even if there is no direct English
equivalent:
The second line of Example 6.3 is highly stilted English, but the first
line (of which it is a literal translation) is excellent Lojban.
Note the period in ``na.a''. The cmavo of A begin with vowels, and therefore
must always be preceded by a pause. It is conventional to write all
connective compounds as single words (with no spaces), but this pause must
still be marked in writing as in speech; otherwise, the ``na'' and ``a'' would
tend to run together.
There is an additional difficulty with the use of more than two sentences.
What is the meaning of:
Does this mean:
Or is the correct translation:
The English translation feebly indicates with a comma what the Lojban
marks far more clearly: the ``I like Martha'' and ``I like Mary'' sentences
are joined by ``.ija'' first, before the result is joined to ``I like John''
by ``.ije''.
What happens if ``bo'' is used on both connectives, giving them the same
high precedence, as in Example 8.3?
In addition, parentheses are a general solution: multiple parentheses
may be nested inside one another, and additional afterthought material
may be added without upsetting the existing structure. Neither of these
two advantages apply to ``bo'' grouping. In general, afterthought
constructions trade generality for simplicity.
Because of the left-grouping rule, the first set of ``tu'e
What about parenthesized sumti connection? Consider
The truth table, when worked out, produces T if and only if all three
component sentences are true or all three are false.
In Example 9.3, the first bridi-tail is ``ricfu'', a simple selbri, and
the second bridi-tail is ``klama le zarci'', a selbri with one following
sumti.
If the rule were that the x1 places of the two underlying bridi were
identified, then (since there is nothing special about x1), the unspecified
x4 (route) and x5 (means) places would also have to be the same, leading
to the absurd result that the route from Phoenix to New York is the same as
the route from Rome to New York. Inserting ``da'', meaning roughly ``something'',
into the x1 place cures the problem:
1. Logical connection and truth tables
1.1) John is a man or James is a woman.
is true if ``John is a man'' is true, or if ``James is a woman'' is true.
If we know whether John is a man, and we know whether James is a woman, we
know whether ``John is a man or James is a woman'' is true, provided we know
the meaning of ``or''. Here ``John is a man'' and ``James is a woman'' are the
component sentences.
first second result
------- ------- ------
True True True
True False True
False True True
False False False
TTTT (always true)
TTTF first is true and/or second is true.
TTFT first is true if second is true.
TTFF first is true whether or not second is true.
TFTT first is true only if second is true.
TFTF whether or not first is true, second is true.
TFFT first is true if and only if second is true.
TFFF first is true and second is true
FTTT first and second are not both true.
FTTF first or second is true, but not both.
FTFT whether or not first is true, second is false.
FTFF first is true, but second is false.
FFTT first is false whether or not second is true.
FFTF first is false, but second is true.
FFFT neither first nor second is true.
FFFF (always false)
2. The Four basic vowels
A TTTF or, and/or
E TFFF and
O TFFT if and only if
U TTFF whether or not
TTTF A
TTFT A with second sentence negated
TTFF U
TFTT A with first sentence negated
TFTF U with sentences exchanged
TFFT O
TFFF E
FTTT A with both sentences negated
FTTF O with either first or second negated (not both)
FTFT U with sentences exchanged and then second negated
FTFF E with second sentence negated
FFTT U with first sentence negated
FFTF E with first sentence negated
FFFT E with both sentences negated
3. The six types of logical connectives
3.1) Mary went to the window and
where the last word could be followed by ``the door'', a noun phrase,
or by ``saw the horses'', a sentence with subject omitted, or by
``John went to the door'', a full sentence, or by one of a variety of
other English grammatical constructions. Lojban cannot tolerate
such grammatical looseness.
4. Logical connection of bridi
4.1) la djan. nanmu .ija la djeimyz. ninmu
John is-a-man or James is-a-woman.
4.2) la djan. nanmu .ije la djeimyz. ninmu
John is-a-man and James is-a-woman.
4.3) la djan. nanmu .ijo la djeimyz. ninmu
John is-a-man if-and-only-if James is-a-woman.
4.4) la djan. nanmu .iju la djeimyz. ninmu
John is-a-man whether-or-not James is-a-woman.
4.5) la djan. nanmu .inajo la djeimyz. ninmu
John is-not-a-man if-and-only-if James is-a-woman.
4.6) la djan. nanmu .ijonai la djeimyz. ninmu
John is a man if-and-only-if James is-not-a-woman
4.7) John is a man or James is a woman, but not both.
4.8) la djan. nanmu .ijanai la djeimyz. ninmu
John is-a-man or James is-not-a-woman.
John is a man if James is a woman.
4.9) la djan. ninmu .ijanai la djeimyz. ninmu
John is a woman if James is a woman.
4.10) la djan. nanmu .inaja la djeimyz. ninmu
John is-not-a-man or James is-a-woman.
John is a man only if James is a woman.
If John is a man, then James is a woman.
4.11) la djan. nanmu .iseju la djeimyz. ninmu
Whether or not John is a man, James is a woman.
where the cmavo in brackets are optional.
5. Forethought bridi connection
5.1) la djan. nanmu
is a complete bridi, and adding an afterthought connection to make
5.2) la djan. nanmu .ija la djeimyz. ninmu
John is a man or James is a woman (or both)
provides additional information without requiring any change in the form of
what has come before, which may not be possible or practical, especially
in speaking. (The meaning, however, may be changed by the use of a
negating connective.) Afterthought connectives make it possible to construct
all the important truth-functional relationships in a variety of ways.
5.3) ga la djan. nanmu gi la djeimyz. ninmu
Either John is a man or James is a woman (or both).
5.4) ge la djan. nanmu gi la djeimyz. ninmu
(It is true that)
both John is a man and James is a woman.
5.5) gu la djan. nanmu
gi la djeimyz. ninmu
It is true that John is a man,
whether or not James is a woman.
5.6) ganai la djan. nanmu gi la djeimyz. ninmu
Either John is not a man, or James is a woman.
If John is a man, then James is a woman.
5.7) le nu do cidja dunda fi le xarju
cu rinka le nu ri ba banro
The event-of (you food-give to the pig)
causes the event-of (it will grow).
5.8) gonai la djan. nanmu gi la djeimyz. ninmu
John is-not-a-man if-and-only-if James is-a-woman,
Either John is a man or James is a woman but not both.
5.9) go la djan. nanmu ginai la djeimyz. ninmu
John is-a-man if-and-only-if James is-not-a-woman.
Either John is a man or James is a woman but not both.
5.10) ge la djan. nanmu ginai la djeimyz. ninmu
John is-a-man and James is-not-a-woman.
5.11) ganai la djan. nanmu ginai la djeimyz. ninmu
John is-not-a-man or James is-not-a-woman.
6. sumti connection
6.1) la djan. klama le zarci
.ije la .alis. klama le zarci
John goes to the market,
and Alice goes to the market.
6.2) la djan .e la .alis. klama le zarci
John and Alice go-to the market.
6.3) la djan. .ije la .alis. klama le zarci
John [is/does something]. And Alices goes-to the market.
leaving the reader uncertain why John is mentioned at all.
6.4) la djan. .o la .alis. klama le zarci
John if-and-only-if Alice goes-to the market.
John goes to the market if, and only if, Alice does.
6.5) ga la djan. gi la .alis. klama le zarci
Either John or Alice (or both) goes-to the market.
6.6) la djan. na.a la .alis. klama le zarci
John only if Alice goes-to the market.
John goes to the market only if Alice does.
7. More than two propositions
7.1) mi dotco .ije mi ricfu .ije mi nanmu
I am-German. And I am-rich. And I am-a-man.
means that all three component sentences are true. Likewise,
7.2) mi dotco .ija mi ricfu .ija mi nanmu
I am-German. Or I am-rich. Or I am-a-man.
means that one or more of the component sentences is true.
7.3) mi dotco .ijo mi ricfu
.ijo mi nanmu
I am-German. If-and-only-if I am-rich.
If-and-only-if I am-a-man.
shows that Example 7.3 does not mean that either I am all three of these
things or none of them; instead, an accurate translation would be:
7.4) mi nelci la djan. .ije mi nelci la martas.
.ija mi nelci la meris.
I like John. And I like Martha.
Or I like Mary.
7.5) I like John, and I like
either Martha or Mary or both.
7.6) Either I like John and I like Martha,
or I like Mary, or both.
7.7) ga ge mi nelci la djan. gi mi nelci la martas.
gi mi nelci la meris.
Either (Both I like John and I like Martha)
or I like Mary.
is equivalent in meaning to Example 7.4, whereas
7.8) ge mi nelci la djan. gi
ga mi nelci la martas. gi mi nelci la meris.
Both I like John and
(Either I like Martha or I like Mary).
is not equivalent to Example 7.4, but is instead a valid translation into
Lojban, using forethought, of Example 7.5.
8. Grouping of afterthought connectives
8.1) mi nelci la djan.
.ije mi nelci la martas.
.ijabo mi nelci la meris.
I like John,
and I like Martha or I like Mary.
8.3) mi nelci la djan. .ebo la martas. .abo la meris.
8.4) I kiss you and you kiss me,
if I love you and you love me.
8.5) mi cinba do .ije[bo] do cinba mi
.ijanai mi prami do .ijebo do prami mi
I kiss you and you kiss me,
if I love you and you love me.
marking two of the ijeks with ``bo'' for high precedence. (The first ``bo'' is
not strictly necessary, because of the left-grouping rule, and is shown
here in brackets.)
8.6) tu'e mi cinba do .ije do cinba mi tu'u
.ijanai tu'e mi prami do .ije do prami mi [tu'u]
( I kiss you and you kiss me )
if ( I love you and you love me ).
where the ``tu'e 8.7) mi cinba do .ije do cinba mi
.ijanai tu'e mi prami do .ije do prami mi [tu'u]
I kiss you and you kiss me
if ( I love you and you love me ).
8.8) I walk to either the market and the house,
or the school and the office.
8.9) mi dzukla le zarci .e le zdani
.a ke le ckule .e le briju [ke'e]
I walk-to the market and the house
or ( the school and the office ).
8.10) [tu'e] mi dotco .ijo mi ricfu [tu'u]
.ije tu'e mi dotco .ijo mi nanmu [tu'u]
( I am-German if-and-only-if I am-rich )
and (I am-German if-and-only-if I am-a-man ).
9. Compound bridi
9.1) mi klama le zarci .ije mi nelci la djan.
I go to the market, and I like John.
is equivalent in meaning to the compound bridi:
9.2) mi klama le zarci gi'e nelci la djan.
I go-to the market and like John.
9.3) mi ricfu gi'e klama le zarci
I am-rich and go-to the market.
9.4) mi dunda le cukta do
.ije mi lebna lo rupnu do
I give the book to-you,
and I take some currency-units from-you.
9.5) fi do fa mi dunda le cukta
gi'e lebna lo rupnu
to/from you I give the book
and take some currency-units.
9.6) mi dunda le cukta
gi'e lebna lo rupnu vau do
I (give the book)
and (take some currency-units) to/from you.
9.7) mi klama le zarci [vau]
I go-to the market.
has a single elided ``vau'', and Example 9.2 is equivalent to:
9.8) mi klama le zarci [vau]
gi'e nelci la djan. [vau] [vau]
where the double ``vau'' at the end of Example 9.8 terminates both the
right-hand bridi-tail and the unexpressed tail-terms.
9.9) klama le zarci gi'e dzukla le briju
A goer to-the market and a walker to-the office.
9.10) klama la nu,IORK. la finyks.
gi'e klama la nu,IORK. la rom.
A goer to-New York from-Phoenix
and a goer to-New York from-Rome.
9.11) da klama la nu,IORK. la finyks.
gi'e klama la nu,IORK. la rom.
Something is-a-goer to-New York from-Phoenix
and is-a-goer to-New York from-Rome.