9.9. Modal selbri

Consider the example:

Example 9.55.

mi	tavla	bau	la	lojban.
I	speak	in-language	that-named	Lojban

bai	tu'a	la	frank.
with-compeller	some-act-by	that-named	Frank.

I speak in Lojban, under compulsion by Frank.

Example 9.55 has two modal sumti, using the modals bau and bai. Suppose we wanted to specify the language explicitly but be vague about who's doing the compelling. We can simplify Example 9.55 to:

Example 9.56.

mi	tavla	bau	la	lojban.	bai	[ku].
I	speak	in-language	that-named	Lojban	under-compulsion

In Example 9.56, the elidable terminator ku has taken the place of the sumti which would normally follow bai. Alternatively, we could specify the one who compels but keep the language vague:

Example 9.57.

mi	tavla	bau	[ku]
I	speak	in-some-language

bai	tu'a	la	frank.
under-compulsion-by	some-act-by	that-named	Frank.

We are also free to move the modal-plus- ku around the bridi:

Example 9.58.

bau	[ku]	bai	ku	mi	tavla
In-some-language		under-compulsion		I	speak.

An alternative to using ku is to place the modal cmavo right before the selbri, following the cu which often appears there. When a modal is present, the cu is almost never necessary.

Example 9.59.

mi	bai	tavla	bau	la	lojban.
I	compelledly	speak	in-language	that-named	Lojban.

In this use, the modal is like a tanru modifier semantically, although grammatically it is quite distinct. Example 9.59 is very similar in meaning to:

Example 9.60.

mi	se bapli	tavla	bau	la	lojban.
I	compelledly	speak	in-language	that-named	Lojban.

The se conversion is needed because bapli tavla would be a “compeller type of speaker” rather than a “compelled (by someone) type of speaker”, which is what a bai tavla is.

If the modal preceding a selbri is constructed using fi'o, then fe'u is required to prevent the main selbri and the modal selbri from colliding:

Example 9.61.

mi	fi'o	kanla	fe'u	viska	do
I	with	eye		see	you.

I see you with my eye(s).

There are two other uses of modals. A modal can be attached to a pair of bridi-tails that have already been connected by a logical, non-logical, or modal connection (see Chapter 14 for more on logical and non-logical connections):

Example 9.62.

mi	bai	ke	ge	klama	le	zarci
I	under-compulsion	(	both	go	to-the	market

gi	cadzu	le	bisli	[ke'e]
and	walk	on-the	ice	).

Under compulsion, I both go to the market and walk on the ice.

Here the bai is spread over both klama le zarci and cadzu le bisli, and the ge ... gi represents the logical connection “both-and” between the two.

Similarly, a modal can be attached to multiple sentences that have been combined with tu'e and tu'u, which are explained in more detail in Section 19.2:

Example 9.63.

bai	tu'e	mi	klama	le	zarci
Under-compulsion	[start]	I	go	to-the	market.

.i	mi	cadzu	le	bisli	[tu'u]
	I	walk	on-the	ice	[end].

means the same thing as Example 9.62.

Note: Either BAI modals or fi'o-plus-selbri modals may correctly be used in any of the constructions discussed in this section.