The Complete Lojban Language
- Example 4.47
- Acer (the scientific name of maple trees)
- acer (Lojbanize)
- xaceru (add initial consonant and final vowel)
- tric,r,xaceru (prefix rafsi)
- ric,r,xaceru (prefix short rafsi)
where tric- and ric- are rafsi for tricu, the gismu for “tree”. Note that by the same principles, “maple sugar” could get the fu'ivla saktrxaceru, or could be represented by the tanru tricrxaceru sakta. Technically, ricrxaceru and tricrxaceru are distinct fu'ivla, but they would surely be given the same meanings if both happened to be in use.
- Example 4.48
- brie (from French)
- bri (Lojbanize)
- cirl,r,bri (prefix rafsi)
where cirl- represents cirla (“cheese”).
- Example 4.49
- cobra
- kobra (Lojbanize)
- sinc,r,kobra (prefix rafsi)
where sinc- represents since (“snake”).
- Example 4.50
- quark
- kuark (Lojbanize)
- kuarka (add final vowel)
- sask,r,kuarka (prefix rafsi)
where sask- represents saske (“science”). Note the extra vowel a added to the end of the word, and the diphthong ua, which never appears in gismu or lujvo, but may appear in fu'ivla.
- Example 4.51
- 자모 (from Korean)
- djamo (Lojbanize)
- lerf,r,djamo (prefix rafsi)
- ler,l,djamo (prefix rafsi)
where ler- represents lerfu (“letter”). Note the l-hyphen in "lerldjamo", since "lerndjamo" contains the forbidden cluster "ndj".
The use of the prefix helps distinguish among the many possible meanings of the borrowed word, depending on the field. As it happens, spageti and kuarka are valid Stage 4 fu'ivla, but xaceru looks like a compound cmavo, and kobra like a gismu.
For another example, “integral” has a specific meaning to a mathematician. But the Lojban fu'ivla integrale, which is a valid Stage 4 fu'ivla, does not convey that mathematical sense to a nonmathematical listener, even one with an English-speaking background; its source – the English word “integral” – has various other specialized meanings in other fields.
Left uncontrolled, integrale almost certainly would eventually come to mean the same collection of loosely related concepts that English associates with “integral”, with only the context to indicate (possibly) that the mathematical term is meant.
The prefix method would render the mathematical concept as cmacrntegrale, if the i of integrale is removed, or something like cmacrnintegrale, if a new consonant is added to the beginning; cmac- is the rafsi for cmaci (“mathematics”). The architectural sense of “integral” might be conveyed with dinjrnintegrale or tarmrnintegrale, where dinju and tarmi mean “building” and “form” respectively.
