The ``x1
The following cmavo is discussed in this section:
Here the sumti are assigned to the places as follows:
Similarly, we may split up the sumti, putting some before the selbri and
others after it:
(There is a way to both provide a sumti for the x1 place and put the
selbri first in the bridi: see Example 3.7.)
This is nonsense, since a car cannot be a route. What the speaker
presumably meant is expressed by:
The following cmavo are discussed in this section:
In Example 3.1, the tags are overkill; they serve only to make Example 2.1
even longer than it is. Here is a better illustration of the use of FA tags
for clarification:
In Example 3.2, the place structure of ``klama'' is as follows:
Here the x1 and x4 places are empty, and so no sumti are tagged with ``fa''
or ``fo''; in addition, the x2 and x3 places appear in reverse order.
In Example 3.7, the ``fa'' causes ``mi'' to occupy the x1 place, and then
the following untagged sumti occupy in order the x2 through x5 places.
This is the mechanism by which Lojban allows placing the selbri first
while specifying a sumti for the x1 place.
Here is a more complex (and more confusing) example:
In Example 3.8, ``mi'' occupies the x1 place because it is the first sumti
in the sentence (and is before the selbri). The second sumti, ``la .atlantas.'',
occupies the x3 place by virtue of the tag ``fi'', and ``le dargu'' occupies
the x4 place as a result of following ``la .atlantas.''. Finally, ``la bastn.''
occupies the x2 place because of its tag ``fe'', and ``le karce'' skips over
the already-occupied x3 and x4 places to land in the x5 place.
In Example 3.10, the speaker uses the selbri ``dunda'', whose place structure
is:
There is also another member of FA, namely ``fai'', which is discussed in
Section 12.
The following cmavo are discussed in this section:
Consider the following pair of examples:
Likewise, we can create three more converted descriptions:
The place structure of ``blanu zdani'' (blue house) is the same as that
of ``zdani'', by the rule given in Section 1. The place structure of ``zdani''
is:
The place structure of ``se ke blanu zdani [ke'e]'' is therefore:
Consequently, Example 4.8 means:
Conversion applied to only part of a tanru has subtler effects which are
explained in Chapter 5.
On the other hand, ``te se klama'' has a place structure derived from swapping
the x1 and x3 places of ``se klama'':
The following cmavo are discussed in this section:
Sometimes the place structures engineered into Lojban are inadequate to
meet the needs of actual speech. Consider the gismu ``viska'', whose
place structure is:
Seeing is a threefold relationship, involving an agent (le viska), an
object of sight (le se viska), and an environment that makes seeing
possible (le te viska). Seeing is done with one or more eyes, of course;
in general, the eyes belong to the entity in the x1 place.
Consider Example 5.1 again. Another way to view the situation is to
consider the speaker's left eye as a tool, a tool for seeing. The
relevant selbri then becomes ``pilno'', whose place structure is
Here the selbri belonging to the modal is ``se pilno''. The conversion
of ``pilno'' is necessary in order to get the ``tool'' place into x1, since
only x1 can be the modal sumti. The ``tool user'' place is the x2 of
``se pilno'' (because it is the x1 of ``pilno'') and remains unspecified.
The tag ``fi'o pilno'' would mean ``with tool user'', leaving the tool
unspecified.
There are certain selbri which seem particularly useful in constructing
modal tags. In particular, ``pilno'' is one of them. The place structure
of ``pilno'' is:
The compound cmavo ``sepi'o'' is much shorter than ``fi'o se pilno [fe'u]''
and can be thought of as a single word meaning ``with-tool''. The modal
tag ``pi'o'', with no ``se'', similarly means ``with-tool-user'', probably a
less useful concept. Nevertheless, the parallelism with the place
structure of ``pilno'' makes the additional syllable worthwhile.
Any of these tags may be used to provide modal places for bridi, as in the
following examples:
The following cmavo are discussed in this section:
This section has two purposes. On the one hand, it explains the grammatical
construct called ``modal sentence connection''. On the other, it exemplifies
some of the more useful BAI cmavo: the causals. (There are other BAI cmavo
which have causal implications: ``ja'e'' means ``with result'', and so ``seja'e''
means ``with cause of unspecified nature''; likewise, ``gau'' means ``with agent''
and ``tezu'e'' means ``with purpose''. These other modal cmavo will not be
further discussed here, as my purpose is to explain modal sentence
connection rather than Lojbanic views of causation.)
1. Introductory
2. Standard bridi form: ``cu''
cu CU prefixed selbri separator
2.1) mi cu klama la bastn. la .atlantas.
le dargu le karce
I go to-Boston from-Atlanta
via-the road using-the car.
x1 agent mi
x2 destination la bastn.
x3 origin la .atlantas.
x4 route le dargu
x5 means le karce
(Note: Many of the examples in the rest of this chapter will turn out to have
the same meaning as Example 2.1; this fact will not be reiterated.)
2.2) mi la bastn. la .atlantas. le dargu
le karce cu klama
I, to-Boston from-Atlanta via-the road
using-the car, go.
2.3) mi la bastn. cu klama la .atlantas. le dargu le karce
I to-Boston go from-Atlanta via-the road using-the car.
2.4) klama la bastn. la .atlantas. le dargu le karce
A-goer to-Boston from-Atlanta via-the road using-the car.
Goes to-Boston from-Atlanta via-the road using-the car.
Look: a goer to Boston from Atlanta via the road
using the car!
2.5) mi klama la bastn. la .atlantas.
I go to-Boston from-Atlanta (via an unspecified route,
using an unspecified means).
2.6) mi klama la bastn. la .atlantas. le karce
I go to-Boston from-Atlanta via-the car.
``le karce'' occupies the x4 place, and therefore Example 2.6 means:
2.7) mi klama la bastn. la .atlantas.
zo'e le karce
I go to-Boston from-Atlanta
via-something-unspecified using-the car.
3. Tagging places: FA
fa FA tags x1 place
fe FA tags x2 place
fi FA tags x3 place
fo FA tags x4 place
fu FA tags x5 place
fi'a FA place structure question
3.1) fa mi cu klama fe la bastn.
fi la .atlantas. fo le dargu fu le karce
x1= I go x2= Boston
x3= Atlanta x4= the road x5= the car.
I go to Boston from Atlanta via the road using the car.
3.2) fa mi klama fe le zdani be mi be'o poi nurma vau
fi la nu,IORK.
x1= I go x2= (the house of me) which is-rural
x3= New York.
x1 agent mi
x2 destination le zdani be mi be'o poi nurma vau
x3 origin la nu,IORK.
x4 route (empty)
x5 means (empty)
3.3) klama fa mi fi la .atlantas.
fu le karce fe la bastn. fo le dargu
go x1= I x3= Atlanta
x5= the car x2= Boston x4= the road.
Go I from Atlanta using the car to Boston via the road.
3.4) fu le karce fo le dargu fi la .atlantas.
fe la bastn. cu klama fa mi
x5= the car x4= the road x3= Atlanta
x2= Boston go x1=I
Using the car, via the road, from Atlanta to Boston
go I.
Example 3.4 exhibits the reverse of the standard bridi form seen in
Examples 2.1 and 3.1, but still means exactly the same thing. If the
FA tags were left out, however, producing:
3.5) le karce le dargu la .atlantas.
la bastn. cu klama mi
The car to-the road from-Atlanta
via-Boston goes using-me.
The car goes to the road from Atlanta, with Boston
as the route, using me as a means
of transport.
the meaning would be wholly changed, and in fact nonsensical.
3.6) klama fi la .atlantas. fe la bastn. fu le karce
A-goer x3= Atlanta x2= Boston x5 = the car.
A goer from Atlanta to Boston using the car.
3.7) klama fa mi la bastn. la .atlantas.
le dargu le karce
Go x1= I x2= Boston x3= Atlanta
x4= the road x5= the car.
Go I to Boston from Atlanta via the road
using the car.
3.8) mi klama fi la .atlantas. le dargu
fe la bastn. le karce
I go x3= Atlanta the road
x2= Boston the car.
I go from Atlanta via the road to Boston using the car.
3.9) [fa] la rik. fa la djein. klama
[fe] le skina fe le zdani fe le zarci
[x1=] Rick x1= Jane goes-to
x2= the movie x2= the house x2= the office
3.10) fi'a do dunda [fe] le vi rozgu
[what place]? you give x2= the nearby rose
In what way are you involved in the giving of this rose?
Are you the giver or the receiver of this rose?
4. Conversion: SE
se SE 2nd place conversion
te SE 3rd place conversion
ve SE 4th place conversion
xe SE 5th place conversion
4.1) la bastn. cu se klama mi
Boston is-the-destination of-me.
Boston is my destination.
Boston is gone to by me.
4.2) fe la bastn. cu klama fa mi
x2 = Boston go x1=I.
To Boston go I.
4.3) le klama
the go-er, the one who goes
4.4) le se klama
the destination gone to by someone
4.5) le te klama
the origin of someone's going
4.6) le ve klama
the route of someone's going
4.7) le xe klama
the means by which someone goes
4.8) mi se ke blanu zdani [ke'e] ti
I [2nd conversion] blue house this-thing
5. Modal places: FIhO, FEhU
fi'o FIhO modal place prefix
fe'u FEhU modal terminator
5.1) mi viska do fi'o kanla [fe'u] le zunle
I see you [modal] eye: the left-thing
I see you with the left eye.
and we can rewrite Example 5.1 as
5.2) mi viska do fi'o se pilno le zunle kanla
I see you [modal] [conversion] use: the left eye
I see you using my left eye.
6. Modal tags: BAI
6.1) mi viska do sepi'o le zunle kanla
I see you with-tool: the left eye
I see you using my left eye.
ka'a with-goer
seka'a with-destination
teka'a with-origin
veka'a with-route
xeka'a with-means-of-transport
6.2) la .eivn. cu vecnu loi flira cinta ka'a mi
Avon sells a-mass-of face paint with-goer me.
I am a traveling cosmetics salesperson for Avon.
(Example 6.2 may seem a bit strained, but it illustrates the way in which an
existing selbri, ``vecnu'' in this case, may have a place added to it which
might otherwise seem utterly unrelated.)
6.3) mi cadzu seka'a la bratfyd.
I walk with-destination Bradford.
I am walking to Bradford.
6.4) bloti teka'a la nu,IORK.
[Observative:] is-a-boat with-origin New York
A boat from New York!
6.5) do bajra veka'a lo djine
You run with-route a circle.
You are running in circles.
6.6) mi citka xeka'a le vinji
I eat with-means-of-transport the airplane.
I eat in the airplane.
6.7) lo nanmu be do'e le berti cu klama le tcadu
Some man [related to] the north came to-the city.
A man of the north came to the city.
7. Modal sentence connection: the causals
ri'a BAI rinka modal: physical cause
ki'u BAI krinu modal: justification
mu'i BAI mukti modal: motivation
ni'i BAI nibli modal: logical entailment
7.1) le spati cu banro
ri'a le nu
do djacu dunda fi le spati
the plant grows
with-physical-cause the event-of
you water give to the plant.
The plant grows because you water it.
7.2) la djan. cpacu le pamoi se jinga
ki'u le nu la djan. jinga
John gets the first prize
with-justification the event-of John wins.
John got the first prize because he won.
7.3) mi lebna le cukta
mu'i le nu mi viska le cukta
I took the book
with-motivation the event-of I saw the book.
I took the book because I saw it.