Welcome!/en: Difference between revisions

From Lojban
Jump to navigation Jump to search
(parser urli)
Line 73: Line 73:
# #jbosnu for discussions exclusively in Lojban
# #jbosnu for discussions exclusively in Lojban


Here is an [[IRC cheat sheet|cheat sheet]] for those unfamiliar with IRC.
The channels sometimes move slowly, so don't lose hope if you don't get a response immediately -- wait around a bit and someone is likely to see your message. Here is an [[IRC cheat sheet|cheat sheet]] for those unfamiliar with IRC.


=== Mailing lists ===
=== Mailing lists ===

Revision as of 22:16, 4 March 2016

Lojban (pronounced [ˈloʒban]) is an experiment in human language – a constructed language based on formal logic.

What is Lojban?

a «lightning talk» introduction to Lojban by Timo Paulssen
«ro lo ma'a datka» and other Lojban songs by la guskant

Lojban is a carefully constructed spoken language. It has been built for over 50 years by dozens of workers and hundreds of supporters.

  • Lojban's grammar is simpler than of most natural languages, but complex in its own unique way. Lojban is an experiment in thought, as well: its users aim to see how its unique language structures affect thought and understanding.
  • Lojban allows the expression of tiny nuances in emotion, using words called attitudinals, which are essentially spoken emoticons.
  • Lojban allows you to communicate concisely without unnecessary or undesired details. For example, you don't have to always think of what tense (past, present or future) to use in a verb when it's already clear from context.
  • Lojban is machine parsable, which allows potential new explorations in the fields of artificial intelligence and machine translation.
  • Lojban has a live community of speakers expanding its vocabulary day by day.
  • Lojban is designed aiming at being neutral between cultures.

Lojban means different things to different people

  • a linguistic curiosity - a test-bed for language experimentation
  • a challenging way to expand their minds or discipline their thoughts
  • a new perspective on languages
  • an entertaining medium to communicate with friends or create art
  • a domain for exploring the intersection of human language and software

What will Lojban mean for you?

More basic information ...

Learning Lojban

Unofficial and supplemental resources

«Lessons in Lojban» by Dustin Lacewell
«The Perfect Language», an introduction to Lojban by Wesley Wilson

Different non-authoritative learning resources have been created. They are said to be more beginner-friendly.

Official resources

  • "The Complete Lojban Language", a reference grammar of Lojban. This book will help those who already understand some Lojban. It's the most complete reference of Lojban language by far. It does not, however, teach vocabulary, style, or colloquial language. Please note that since the initial publication of the reference grammar, some language reforms such as xorlo have become widely adopted.

Dictionaries

Related things

Software tools

  • Memrise.com offers on-line Lojban vocabulary flashcards. Anki is a downloadable alternative.
  • la camxes is an automatic grammar of Lojban. It can help you to understand the structure and correctness of sentences.
  • A Lojban-to-English translator. It is not precise, it can sometimes fail to correctly translate from English to Lojban or vice versa. It can be used to get at least some understanding of how Lojban works.

Other learning materials ...

Connect with the community

«bripre jikca», a community literary vlog
«ba'o», a song by La Djemynai

Lojban is spoken by a vibrant community, producing literature, music, and art, and discussing questions about language and thought. The web comic xkcd said that, if you spoke Lojban, you'd have to speak with Lojbanists. That may not be such a bad thing!

Instant messaging (text chat)

At any time of day, there are likely to be Lojbanists available on IRC (Internet Relay Chat) to answer questions or engage in real-time Lojban conversation. Join the chat in your browser with

There are three main channels (chat rooms):

  1. #lojban for discussion about Lojban in any language
  2. #ckule for the teaching of Lojban and questions from beginners in any Language
  3. #jbosnu for discussions exclusively in Lojban

The channels sometimes move slowly, so don't lose hope if you don't get a response immediately -- wait around a bit and someone is likely to see your message. Here is an cheat sheet for those unfamiliar with IRC.

Mailing lists

Got a question about Lojban?
Ask the the lojban-beginners mailing list!

The lojban-beginners mailing list is for questions about learning and understanding Lojban. You can subscribe to the list by sending a question to [email protected].

The general-purpose lojban mailing list, which covers anything else related to Lojban, was founded in 1989, and has about 500 subscribers. You can subscribe to it by sending an email to [email protected].

Social media

Lojban has a presence on many of the most popular web sites: Facebook Logo Mini.svg Facebook, Google plus icon.svg Google+, reddit-12.png Reddit, quora.png Quora.

la jbotcan is an informal bulletin board which hosts images and discussions in Lojban and English.

International Contacts

an exposition by la guskant in Japanese
  Languages spoken
la selpa'i
[email protected]
English, German
la gleki
[email protected]
English, Russian
la ilmen
[email protected]
English, French
la tsani
[email protected]
English, French
la xorxes
[email protected]
English, Spanish
la guskant
[email protected]
English, French, Chinese, Japanese, Esperanto
la remod
[email protected]
English, Italian

Lojban around the world - other ways of communication ...

What's next?

  • Try your hand at translating into Lojban, or write your own original texts: Poetry, prose, blogs, tweets, etc.
  • Continue learning vocabulary using memorization software.
  • Help expand the dictionary by translating Lojban words into other languages, or coin new compound words and add them.

More info ...


This web site is dedicated to documenting Lojban and the activities of the Lojban-using community, and also serves as the official web site of the Logical Language Group (LLG), a non-profit organization founded in 1987 to promote the scientific study of the relationships between language, thought and human culture.