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To Boston Via The Road Go I, With An Excursion Into The Land Of Modals - The Lojban Reference Grammar
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Other modal connections
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The Lojban Reference Grammar
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Modal relative phrases; Comparison
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<h3><a id="s9" name="s9">9. Modal selbri</h3>
<p>Consider the example:</p>
<p></p>
<pre>
<a id="e9d1" name="e9d1">9.1)</a> mi tavla bau la lojban.
bai tu'a la frank.
I speak in-language Lojban
with-compeller some-property-of Frank.
I speak in Lojban, under compulsion by Frank.
</pre>
<a href="#e9d1">Example 9.1</a> 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 <a href="#e9d1">Example 9.1</a> to:
<p></p>
<pre>
<a id="e9d2"
name="e9d2">9.2)</a> mi tavla bau la lojban. bai [ku].
I speak in-language Lojban under-compulsion.
</pre>
<p>In <a href="#e9d2">Example 9.2</a>, 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:</p>
<pre>
<a id="e9d3" name="e9d3">9.3)</a> mi tavla bau [ku]
bai tu'a la frank.
I speak in-some-language
under-compulsion-by some-property-of Frank.
</pre>
<p>We are also free to move the modal-plus-``ku'' around the
bridi:</p>
<pre>
<a id="e9d4" name="e9d4">9.4)</a> bau [ku] bai ku mi tavla
In-some-language under-compulsion I speak.
</pre>
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.
<pre>
<a id="e9d5" name="e9d5">9.5)</a> mi bai tavla bau la lojban.
I compelledly speak in-language Lojban.
</pre>
In this use, the modal is like a tanru modifier semantically,
although grammatically it is quite distinct. <a
href="#e9d5">Example 9.5</a> is very similar in meaning to:
<pre>
<a id="e9d6" name="e9d6">9.6)</a> mi se bapli tavla bau la lojban.
I compelledly-speak in-language Lojban.
</pre>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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:</p>
<p></p>
<pre>
<a id="e9d7" name="e9d7">9.7)</a> mi fi'o kanla fe'u viska do
I with-eye see you
I see you with my eye(s).
</pre>
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
<a href="../c14/s1.html">Chapter 14</a> for more on logical and
non-logical connections):
<pre>
<a id="e9d8" name="e9d8">9.8)</a> mi bai
ke ge klama le zarci gi cadzu le bisli [ke'e]
I under-compulsion
( both go to-the market and walk on-the ice )
Under compulsion, I both go to the market
and walk on the ice.
</pre>
<p>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.</p>
<p> 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 <a href="../c19/s1.html">Chapter 19</a>:</p>
<pre>
<a id="e9d9" name="e9d9">9.9)</a> bai tu'e mi klama le zarci
.i mi cadzu le bisli [tu'u]
Under-compulsion [start] I go to-the market.
I walk on-the ice [end]
</pre>
means the same thing as <a href="#e9d8">Example 9.8</a>.
<p>Note: Either BAI modals or ``fi'o''-plus-selbri modals may
correctly be used in any of the constructions discussed in this
section.</p>
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Modal relative phrases; Comparison
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