states/provinces/counties

[Ivan A Derzhanski <cbmvax!uunet!cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu!iad>]

la lojbab. cusku di'e

>For Lojban, all names MUST be framed within Lojban morphology, and the issue
>  must at least be considered whether to preserve sound or to preserve
>  visual reference.  In general, the decision has been to preserve sound.
>
>  Thus Nova Scotia would Lojbanize as "la novaskocias." and the US, if not
>  "la mergu'e", as "la .iuNAItedsteits."

Or {la .iu.es.}, which is also readily understood.

>  Lojban would not preserve "York" as "york", because the diphthong "yo" has
>  no defined pronunciation.

So we end up with {la .iork.} and {la niu.iork.}.

You have my emphatic vote against translating names or parts of names.
That NY is called Nueva York in Spanish means that a Spanish speaker
will recognise {la cnino.iork} (or whatever) as NY.  But it won't mean
anything to a Russian or Bulgarian lojbani, unless he knows English
and is aware that "new" means `{cnino}'.  He will expect {la niu.iork.}

There are other problems, of course.  Many places have more than one
"native" name.  Would you make a cmene for Belgium from her French or
her Flemish name?  (Just an example.)

---- --- -- -  Long Live the Rose and the Heather!  - -- --- ----
Ivan A Derzhanski   (iad@cogsci.ed.ac.uk;  iad@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu)
* Centre for Cognitive Science,  2 Buccleuch Place,  Edinburgh EH8 9LW,  UK
* Cowan House, Pollock Halls, 18 Holyrood Park Road, Edinburgh EH16 5BD, UK