BPFK Section: Nonce Connectives

This page is imported from version 24 of the page BPFK Section: Nonce Connectives from the lojban Tiki.

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• Outstanding issues (to be fix in the mega-vote, if not sooner).
  • The grizis example should be s/za'e la/la za'e/

Proposed Definitions And Examples

cmavo: ba'e (BAhE)

Proposed Definition

Emphasize next word. Forethought emphasis indicator. Indicates that next word is especially emphasized or emphatic. For grammatical purposes, "ba'e" marks the following word but does not change its nature. (The construct behaves just as the marked word by itself.) Multiple BAhE cmavo may be used in succession, and they combine to mark the next non-BAhE word. See also za'e, .ui, Magic Words.

Proposed Keywords

• emphasize next word
• emphasize next

Usage Examples

le lisri cu ba'e pu zdile

The story WAS amusing.

.oisai mi bilga le nu ba'e ca cliva

Dammit, I need to leave NOW.

The following examples are intended to illustrate interactions of ba'e with other words of special grammatical effect, and hence may be pathological.

mi cusku ba'e si la'e di'u

I said emphasis, no, the referent of the previous thing I said.

ko pensi me'o depsna bu .e me'o ba'e bu

Think about "hesitation sound", and the emphasis letter.

lo nu ciksi lo ba'e zei se zei cinmo cu nandu

Explaning the emphasis-emotion is difficult.

cmavo: za'e (BAhE)

Proposed Definition

Nonce word follows. Forethought nonce-word indicator. Indicates that the next word is a nonce creation or is nonstandard in some way. For grammatical purposes, "za'e" marks the following word but does not change its nature. (The construct behaves just as the marked word by itself, though a marked brivla may have an unpredictable place structure.) Multiple BAhE cmavo may be used in succession, and they combine to mark the next non-BAhE word. See also ba'e, .ui, Magic Words.

Proposed Keywords

• nonce-word next
• nonce word follows

Usage Examples

doi grizis mi tcidu za'e la ralcku

Grizis, I read what I'll call "The Book".

See also the examples for ba'e, which is grammatically identical to za'e.

cmavo: zei (ZEI)

Proposed Definition

Lujvo glue. Connects words into a lujvo. Joins preceding and following words into a lujvo. For grammatical purposes, "zei" binds with the preceding word and the following word. The combination is considered a single brivla (i.e. it is treated as just one word). In the case of an apparent conflict, the effects of this word (and all other words that change the grammatical effects of nearby words) should be read left to right. See also lujvo.

Proposed Keywords

• lujvo glue

Usage Examples

pe'u ro do ko friti le se .uu zei cinmo

Please, all of you offer your sympathies. (Literally, "pity type of feeling".)

mi lojban zei ciska

I'm Lojbanically writing. (Literally, "Lojban type of writer".)

The following examples are intended to illustrate interactions of zei with other words of special grammatical effect, and hence may be pathological.

lu da zei fa'o li'u cu mutce cizra lujvo

"da type-of fa'o" is a very strange lujvo.

mi ciska me'o .ui zei nai bu

I wrote a frowny face. (Literally "happy type-of not letter".)

lu zo bu zei sa si zo bu zei su li'u cu mupli

"bu type-of sa", I mean, "bu type-of su" is an example.

Issues

What does zei grab?

cmavo: xi (XI)

Proposed Definition

Subscript. Subscript indicator. Attaches the following number or letteral string as a subscript. Can be used almost anywhere, but is mostly used on sumti and in mathematical expressions.

Proposed Keywords

• subscript
• subscript indicator

Usage Examples

li xy. xi ci du li xy. xi pa su'i xy. xi re

x sub three = x sub one plus x sub two

la'e di'u xi re cu xamgu se morji mi

The thing you mentioned two utterances ago is well remembered by me.

Notes

• A usage convention for superscript would be *lovely*, but no ideas are coming to mind.

• Despite xi causing bizarre interactions in mekso, I honestly can't think of anything interesting to say about it.

Impact

• ba'e should be basically unchanged, except for clarification.

• zei structures are now a single word for purposes of following magic words.

• IMO, this is well worth having a defined precedence in all cases.

Proposed New cmavo

• Another member of ZEI with reverse-order modified-modifier semantics.
  • The shepherd doesn't consider this terribly important, but it certainly would help match the rest of the language, which is very configurable.
  • "broda zei co zei brode" has been suggested for this usage. Should I write that up as a usage convention?