5.16. “Pretty little girls' school” : forty ways to say it

The following examples show every possible grouping arrangement of melbi cmalu nixli ckule using bo or ke … ke'e for grouping and je or je bo for logical connection. Most of these are definitely not plausible interpretations of the English phrase “pretty little girls' school”, especially those which describe something which is both a girl and a school.

Example 5.26, Example 5.27, Example 5.28, Example 5.29, and Example 5.36 are repeated here as Example 5.132, Example 5.140, Example 5.148, Example 5.156, and Example 5.164 respectively. The seven examples following each of these share the same grouping pattern, but differ in the presence or absence of je at each possible site. Some of the examples have more than one Lojban version. In that case, they differ only in grouping mechanism, and are always equivalent in meaning.

The logical connective je is associative: that is, “A and (B and C)” is the same as “(A and B) and C”. Therefore, some of the examples have the same meaning as others. In particular, Example 5.139, Example 5.147, Example 5.155, Example 5.163, and Example 5.171 all have the same meaning because all four brivla are logically connected and the grouping is simply irrelevant. Other equivalent forms are noted in the examples themselves. However, if je were replaced by naja or jo or most of the other logical connectives, the meanings would become distinct.

It must be emphasized that, because of the ambiguity of all tanru, the English translations are by no means definitive – they represent only one possible interpretation of the corresponding Lojban sentence.

Example 5.132.

melbi		cmalu		nixli		ckule
((pretty	type-of	little)	type-of	girl)	type-of	school

school for girls who are beautifully small

Example 5.133.

melbi	je	cmalu		nixli		ckule
((pretty	and	little)	type-of	girl)	type-of	school

school for girls who are beautiful and small

Example 5.134.

melbi	bo	cmalu	je	nixli		ckule
((pretty	type-of	little)	and	girl)	type-of	school

school for girls and for beautifully small things

Example 5.135.

ke	melbi		cmalu		nixli	ke'e	je	ckule
((	pretty	type-of	little)	type-of	girl	)	and	school

thing which is a school and a beautifully small girl

Example 5.136.

melbi	je	cmalu	je	nixli		ckule
((pretty	and	little)	and	girl)	type-of	school

school for things which are beautiful, small, and girls

Note: same as Example 5.152

Example 5.137.

melbi	bo	cmalu	je	nixli	je	ckule
((pretty	type-of	little)	and	girl)	and	school

thing which is beautifully small, a school, and a girl

Note: same as Example 5.145

Example 5.138.

ke	melbi	je	cmalu		nixli	ke'e	je	ckule
((	pretty	and	little)	type-of	girl	)	and	school

thing which is a school and a girl who is both beautiful and small

Example 5.139.

melbi	je	cmalu	je	nixli	je	ckule
((pretty	and	little)	and	girl)	and	school

thing which is beautiful, small, a girl, and a school

Example 5.140.

melbi		cmalu		nixli	bo	ckule
(pretty	type-of	little)	type-of	(girl	type-of	school)

girls' school which is beautifully small

Example 5.141.

melbi	je	cmalu		nixli	bo	ckule
(pretty	and	little)	type-of	(girl	type-of	school)

girls' school which is beautiful and small

Example 5.142.

melbi		cmalu		nixli	je	ckule
(pretty	type-of	little)	type-of	(girl	and	school)

something which is a girl and a school which is beautifully small

Example 5.143.

melbi	bo	cmalu	je	nixli	bo	ckule
(pretty	type-of	little)	and	(girl	type-of	school)

something which is beautifully small and a girls' school

Example 5.144.

melbi	je	cmalu		nixli	je	ckule
(pretty	and	little)	type-of	(girl	and	school)

a pretty and little type of thing which is both a girl and a school

Example 5.145.

melbi	bo	cmalu	je	nixli	jebo	ckule
(pretty	type-of	little)	and	(girl	and	school)

thing which is beautifully small, a school, and a girl

Note: same as Example 5.137

Example 5.146.

melbi	jebo	cmalu	je	nixli	bo	ckule
(pretty	and	little)	and	(girl	type-of	school)

thing which is beautiful and small and a girl's school

Note: same as Example 5.161

Example 5.147.

melbi	jebo	cmalu	je	nixli	jebo	ckule
(pretty	and	little)	and	(girl	and	school)

thing which is beautiful, small, a girl, and a school

Example 5.148.

melbi		cmalu	bo	nixli		ckule
(pretty	type-of	(little	type-of	girl))	type-of	school

school for beautiful girls who are small

Example 5.149.

melbi		cmalu	je	nixli		ckule
(pretty	type-of	(little	and	girl))	type-of	school

school for beautiful things which are small and are girls

Example 5.150.

melbi	je	cmalu	bo	nixli		ckule
(pretty	and	(little	type-of	girl))	type-of	school

school for things which are beautiful and are small girls

Example 5.151.

ke	melbi		cmalu	bo	nixli	ke'e	je	ckule
	melbi	bo	cmalu	bo	nixli		je	ckule
(	pretty	type-of	(little	type-of	girl	))	and	school

thing which is a school and a small girl who is beautiful

Example 5.152.

melbi	je	cmalu	jebo	nixli		ckule
(pretty	and	(little	and	girl))	type-of	school

school for things which are beautiful, small, and girls

Note: same as Example 5.136

Example 5.153.

melbi	je	cmalu	bo	nixli	je	ckule
(pretty	and	(little	type-of	girl))	and	school

thing which is beautiful, a small girl, and a school

Note: same as Example 5.169

Example 5.154.

ke	melbi		cmalu	je	nixli	ke'e	je	ckule
(	pretty	type-of	(little	and	girl	))	and	school

thing which is beautifully small, a beautiful girl, and a school

Example 5.155.

melbi	je	cmalu	jebo	nixli	je	ckule
(pretty	and	(little	and	girl))	and	school

thing which is beautiful, small, a girl, and a school

Example 5.156.

melbi		cmalu	bo	nixli	bo	ckule
melbi	ke	cmalu	ke	nixli		ckule	[ke'e]	[ke'e]
pretty	type-of	(little	type-of	(girl	type-of	school	)	)

small school for girls which is beautiful

Example 5.157.

melbi	ke	cmalu		nixli	je	ckule	[ke'e]
pretty	type-of	(little	type-of	(girl	and	school	))

small thing, both a girl and a school, which is beautiful

Example 5.158.

melbi		cmalu	je	nixli	bo	ckule
pretty	type-of	(little	and	(girl	type-of	school))

thing which is beautifully small and a girls' school that is beautiful

Example 5.159.

melbi	je		cmalu	bo	nixli	bo	ckule
melbi	je	ke	cmalu		nixli	bo	ckule	[ke'e]
melbi	je	ke	cmalu	ke	nixli		ckule	[ke'e]	[ke'e]
pretty	and	(	little	type-of	(girl	type-of	school	)	)

thing which is beautiful and a small type of girls' school

Example 5.160.

melbi		cmalu	je		nixli	jebo	ckule
melbi		cmalu	je	ke	nixli	je	ckule	[ke'e]
pretty	type-of	(little	and	(	girl	and	school	))

thing which is beautifully small, a beautiful girl, and a beautiful school

Note: same as Example 5.168

Example 5.161.

melbi	je		cmalu	jebo	nixli	bo	ckule
melbi	je	ke	cmalu	je	nixli	bo	ckule	[ke'e]
pretty	and	(	little	and	(girl	type-of	school	))

thing which is beautiful, small and a girls' school

Note: same as Example 5.146

Example 5.162.

melbi	je	ke	cmalu		nixli	je	ckule	[ke'e]
pretty	and	(	little	type-of	(girl	and	school	))

beautiful thing which is a small girl and a small school

Example 5.163.

melbi	jebo	cmalu	jebo	nixli	jebo	ckule
pretty	and	(little	and	(girl	and	school))

thing which is beautiful, small, a girl, and a school

Example 5.164.

melbi	ke	cmalu		nixli		ckule	[ke'e]
pretty	type-of	((little	type-of	girl)	type-of	school	)

beautiful school for small girls

Example 5.165.

melbi	ke	cmalu	je	nixli		ckule	[ke'e]
pretty	type-of	((little	and	girl)	type-of	school

beautiful school for things which are small and are girls

Example 5.166.

melbi	ke	cmalu	bo	nixli	je	ckule	[ke'e]
pretty	type-of	((little	type-of	girl)	and	school	)

beautiful thing which is a small girl and a school

Example 5.167.

melbi	je	ke	cmalu		nixli	ckule	[ke'e]
pretty	and	((	little	type-of	girl)	type-of	school	)

thing which is beautiful and a school for small girls

Example 5.168.

melbi		cmalu	je	nixli	je	ckule
pretty	type-of	((little	and	girl)	and	school)

thing which is beautifully small, a beautiful girl, and a beautiful school

Note: same as Example 5.160

Example 5.169.

melbi	je	ke	cmalu	bo	nixli	je	ckule	[ke'e]
pretty	and	((	little	type-of	girl)	and	school	)

thing which is beautiful, a small girl and a school

Note: same as Example 5.153

Example 5.170.

melbi	je	ke	cmalu	je	nixli		ckule	[ke'e]
pretty	and	((	little	and	girl)	type-of	school	)

thing which is beautiful and is a small school and a girls' school

Example 5.171.

melbi	je	ke	cmalu	je	nixli	je	ckule	[ke'e]
pretty	and	((	little	and	girl)	and	school	)

thing which is beautiful, small, a girl, and a school