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 keke'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