Customer Reviews

The Complete Lojban Language

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the first published reference work on the Lojban language, which has been kicking around the Internet for a couple of years now. The grammar description is meticulous & fairly easy to grasp (if you don't try to gulp too much at once), but there are two things that make this book (which is nicely bound in red cloth, & a pleasure to hold)a mild disappointment for those who have waited so long. One, it isn't topic-indicated on page margins or tops so you could riffle through it looking for something you remember more or less where you saw it last around & now want to find again; & there is not even a skeletal gismu (root word) list, much less a "complete" vocabulary (this is, I understand, so that the Dictionary can stand alone later without duplication but still--): which means you cannot really start learning to SPEAK in Lojban without having to hunt up a word-list on the Internet (& too bad if you don't have a computer!). Still, worth the cost; & invigorating to study even if you don't intend to use it.

Really good. Fixes many of the errors found on the net version of the grammar. PLEASE! Hurry up with the dictionary!

Even though most of the information in the book also exists online I wanted a copy that I could carry around and use wherever I happened to be. I am happy with that decision and the book.

This is obviously not a slickly-produced commercial product. It is a textbook. Don't expect great liiterature here. But, for what it is the purpose is well-served.

The book exceeded nearly all my expectations, in terms of the quality of the binding and the print work.

Of course I expected a high quality of the actual contents, so that expectation was met, not exceeded :-)

One place where the book does let itself down a bit is this: It is primarily a reference work, yet it has minimalistic page headers and footers. It would have been very helpful if each page header contained the starting section number and title, as well as the chapter number and title.

The first book to get on the shelf for any Lojbanist. Although an online version exist, I have had great pleasure holding the book in my hands, spending hours on it.

Beware, it is not written as a tutorial, and may not fit your needs if you are looking for a straightforward Lojban course. Any willing reader can learn Lojban with its help, though.

Most of the Lojban tutorials on the internet seem to cater to people who really know what they're getting into. This one, while based on an electronic one to which it does bear obvious resemblance, seems to be a little better for beginners. Lord knows that Lojban needs it, as it is very different from any other language other than Loglan, its predecessor.

I feel that the book is not as visually appealing as it could be. It is a textbook at heart, though (I can't see any school carrying it), so this is forgivable. I recommend this book if you want to invest in a physical medium to teach you Lojban. It is a rewarding language to learn, but I have gotten by just fine with online tutorials and knew the language somewhat well before I ever checked out this book.