4.8 cmene
Names meeting these criteria may be invented, Lojbanized from names in other languages, or formed by appending a consonant onto a cmavo, a gismu, a fu'ivla or a lujvo. Some cmene built from Lojban words are:
- Example 4.67
- pav.
- the One
- from the cmavo pa, with rafsi pav, meaning “one”
- Example 4.68
- sol.
- the Sun
- from the gismu solri, meaning “solar”, or actually “pertaining to the Sun”
- Example 4.69
- ralj.
- Chief (as a title)
- from the gismu ralju, meaning “principal”.
- Example 4.70
- nol.
- Lord/Lady
- from the gismu nobli, with rafsi nol, meaning “noble”.
To Lojbanize a name from the various natural languages, apply the following rules:
- Eliminate double consonants and silent letters.
- Add a final s or n (or some other consonant that sounds good) if the name ends in a vowel.
- Convert all sounds to their closest Lojban equivalents.
- If possible and acceptable, shift the stress to the penultimate (next-to-the-last) syllable. Use commas and capitalization in written Lojban when it is necessary to preserve non-standard syllabication or stress. Do not capitalize names otherwise.
- If the name contains an impermissible consonant pair, insert a vowel between the consonants: y is recommended.
- No cmene may have the syllables la, lai, or doi in them, unless immediately preceded by a consonant. If these combinations are present, they must be converted to something else. Possible substitutions include ly, ly'i, and dai or do'i, respectively.
There are some additional rules for Lojbanizing the scientific names (technically known as “Linnaean binomials” after their inventor) which are internationally applied to each species of animal or plant. Where precision is essential, these names need not be Lojbanized, but can be directly inserted into Lojban text using the cmavo la'o, explained in Section 19.10 (p. 458). Using this cmavo makes the already lengthy Latinized names at least four syllables longer, however, and leaves the pronunciation in doubt. The following suggestions, though incomplete, will assist in converting Linnaean binomals to valid Lojban names. They can also help to create fu'ivla based on Linnaean binomials or other words of the international scientific vocabulary. The term “back vowel” in the following list refers to any of the letters a, o, or u; the term “front vowel” correspondingly refers to any of the letters e, i, or y.
- Change double consonants other than cc to single consonants.
- Change cc before a front vowel to kc, but otherwise to k.
- Change c before a back vowel and final c to k.
- Change ng before a consonant (other than h) and final ng to n.
- Change x to z initially, but otherwise to ks.
- Change pn to n initially.
- Change final ie and ii to i.
- Make the following idiosyncratic substitutions:
