Name the language
This week we have a question from David. Can you identify the following language and translate it into English? Note: to make this slightly more difficult, I’ve made a phonetic transcription of the sentence using the IPA. The language isn’t normally written like this.
Clues: This a well-known proverb. The language is a constructed one built over a period of many years and only a few people actually speak it.
Here’s a recording of another sentence in the same language.
8 Responses to “Name the language”
Laci the Hun on 26 Aug 2006 at 6:14 pm #
I’m sure it’s Lojban coz we have to learn about other constructed languages during our studies (one of my majors is Esperanto language and literature), but I don’t remeber a thing in connection with Lojban
Simon on 26 Aug 2006 at 7:34 pm #
It is indeed Lojban. Well done Laci. Any idea what it means?
Steve Massey on 26 Aug 2006 at 8:29 pm #
Colloquially “A rolling stone gathers no moss.”
Literally something like
lo - “it is really true that”
rokci - “rocks”
poi - “which are”
gunro - “rolls”
ze’e - “during that time”
na - “it is not true”
te clika - “they have moss growing on them”
Simon on 26 Aug 2006 at 8:37 pm #
Steve - that’s correct. Do you actually speak Lojban? Any idea what the recording means? All I know is that it’s Lojban.
It seems this question was too easy! Laci and/or Steve, would you like to come up with a more difficult question for next week? If you would, please send it to me by email.
Laci the Hun on 26 Aug 2006 at 8:46 pm #
well sorry but not :( if I remeber right “lo” is an article and “na” is a kind of negation but that’s all. It’s a rather strange language for me, interesting but strange…
Laci the Hun on 26 Aug 2006 at 8:52 pm #
oh Steve is the winner :) congratulations. Do you really speak Lojban? :O It wasn’t easy it was my luck to know something about it :)
I’m sure Steve is more capable of inventing a new question :D
Ramses on 26 Aug 2006 at 9:25 pm #
I’m still curious: what’s the big plus of learning an art language except it may be cool to impress other people?
Joseph Staleknight on 27 Aug 2006 at 2:09 am #
It helps get your point across in business….