Chapter 8
Relative Clauses, Which Make sumti Even More Complicated

1. What are you pointing at?

   poi NOI restrictive relative clause introducer
    ke'a    GOhA    relative pro-sumti
    ku'o    KUhO    relative clause terminator

However, even with the assistance of a pointing finger, or pointing lips, or whatever may be appropriate in the local culture, it is often hard for a listener to tell just what is being pointed at. Suppose one is pointing at a person (in particular, in the direction of his or her face), and says:

1.1)  ti cu barda
    This-one is-big.

What is the referent of ``ti''? Is it the person? Or perhaps it is the person's nose? Or even (for ``ti'' can be plural as well as singular, and mean ``these ones'' as well as ``this one'') the pores on the person's nose?

To help solve this problem, Lojban uses a construction called a ``relative clause''. Relative clauses are usually attached to the end of sumti, but there are other places where they can go as well, as explained later in this chapter. A relative clause begins with a word of selma'o NOI, and ends with the elidable terminator ``ku'o'' (of selma'o KUhO). As you might suppose, ``noi'' is a cmavo of selma'o NOI; however, first we will discuss the cmavo ``poi'', which also belongs to selma'o NOI.

In between the ``poi'' and the ``ku'o'' appears a full bridi, with the same syntax as any other bridi. Anywhere within the bridi of a relative clause, the pro-sumti ``ke'a'' (of selma'o KOhA) may be used, and it stands for the sumti to which the relative clause is attached (called the ``relativized sumti''). Here are some examples before we go any further:

1.2)  ti poi ke'a prenu ku'o cu barda
    This-thing such-that( IT is-a-person ) is-large.
    This thing which is a person is big.
    This person is big.

1.3)  ti poi ke'a nazbi ku'o cu barda
    This-thing such-that( IT is-a-nose ) is-large.
    This thing which is a nose is big.
    This nose is big.

1.4)  ti poi ke'a nazbi kapkevna ku'o
        cu barda
    This-thing such-that( IT is-a-nose-type-of skin-hole )
        is-big.
    These things which are nose-pores are big.
    These nose-pores are big.

Of course, there is no reason why ``ke'a'' needs to appear in the x1 place of a relative clause bridi; it can appear in any place, or indeed even in a sub-bridi within the relative clause bridi. Here are two more examples:

1.5)  tu poi le mlatu pu lacpu ke'a ku'o
        cu ratcu
    That-distant-thing such-that( the cat [past] drags IT )
        is-a-rat.
    That thing which the cat dragged is a rat.
    What the cat dragged is a rat.

1.6)   ta poi mi djica le nu mi ponse ke'a [kei] ku'o
        cu bloti
    That-thing such-that( I desire the event-of( I own IT ) )
        is-a-boat.
    That thing that I want to own is a boat.

In Example 1.6, ``ke'a'' appears in an abstraction clause (abstractions are explained in Chapter 11) within a relative clause.

Like any sumti, ``ke'a'' can be omitted. The usual presumption in that case is that it then falls into the x1 place:

1.7)  ti poi nazbi cu barda
    This-thing which is-a-nose is-big.

1.8)  tu poi le mlatu pu lacpu cu ratcu
    That-distant-thing which the cat drags is-a-rat

As stated before, ``ku'o'' is an elidable terminator, and in fact it is almost always elidable. Throughout the rest of this chapter, ``ku'o'' will not be written in any of the examples unless it is absolutely required: thus, Example 1.2 can be written:

1.9)  ti poi prenu cu barda
    That which is-a-person is-big.
    That person is big.

1.10)    I saw a man who was going to the store.

1.11)    The building that the school was located in is large.

In Example 1.10 the relative clause is ``who was going to the store'', and in Example 1.11 it is ``that the school was located in''. Sometimes ``who'', ``which'', and ``that'' are used in literal translations in this chapter in order to make them read more smoothly.