📝 ‘Core Lojban’ essay

Large parts of English can be described as expressing relations. In that regard English (despite being often ambiguous and having complex grammar) can still be used to relay the basics of Lojban. At first let's try to describe a portion of the English language using Lojban terms:

"I love you" is a bridi. "love" is its selbri "I" and "you" make up its terbri.

In layment terms:

  • bridi is the relationship
  • selbri is the relation
  • terbri is a sequence of arguments in the relationship

Rephrasing in linguistic terms:

  • bridi is a clause
  • selbri is the content verb, predicate
  • terbri is a sequence of arguments, roles in the clause