Learn, hack!

URL

http://events.ccc.de/congress/2005/fahrplan/attachments/555-sm2005lojban.pdf

File name

555-sm2005lojban.pdf

File size

240.8 KB

MD5

fc8ee4fe007b48f3829de1d587f3454c

SHA1

f4ab4f20c0328b5294a0aeacea7ccf23bde331c0

Lojban is an artificial language for humans. It was designed to be a more powerful means of communication between humans than "legacy" natural languages. Among other attractions, it is based on predicate logic and has an unambiguous grammar. It can be learnt within days. Lojban is an artificial language meant to be spoken by humans. Its distinctive features include a basis in logic (predicate calculus!), regularity (no exceptions), an isomorphic mapping between written and spoken form, and an unambiguous grammar. It was originally developed for research on the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. This hypothesis states that the structure of one's language constrains one's thinking. Lojban was designed to minimize such constraints. It enables clear, powerful, and unambiguous communication among humans. Its rigorous grammar also makes it a prime candidate for communication with computers. Additionally, Lojban's clear phonetic structure makes it robust over noisy channels. This lecture aims to show that, just as we develop and use new programming languages for additional power, we can develop and use new languages for use among ourselves. It will provide a first glance at Lojban structure and grammar, and pointers to the readily-available learning material.