BPFK Section: Vocatives
Proposed Definitions And Examples
- be'e (COI)
- Vocative. Used to make a request to speak. (cf. ju'i, ta'a)
- Keywords: Request to send.
be'e nolni'u io
re'i
.e'o ga'i nai ko dunda lo sicni
Pardon me, ma'am.
Yes?
Can you spare a dime?
- co'o (COI)
- Vocative. Used to express an acknowledgement of parting. (cf. tolrinsa)
- Keywords: Bye-bye, goodbye, farewell, so long, adieu, Godspeed.
co'o ro do
Goodbye, everyone!
- coi (COI)
- Vocative. Used to express greeting. (cf. rinsa)
- Keywords: Hi, hello, howdy, hail, salaam.
coi pe mi pendo do mo
Hello my friend, what are you up to?
- fe'o (COI)
- Vocative. Used to indicate the end of a conversation or discussion.
- Keywords: Over and out.
.ai mi na stali lo nu tirna ti .i fe'o
I'm not staying to listen to this! Have a nice day!
- fi'i (COI)
- Vocative. Used to greet cordially a visitor or recent arrival, express hospitality.
- Keywords: Welcome, make yourself at home.
fi'i .djan. mi'a denpa tu'a do
Welcome, John! We were waiting for you.
- fi'i nai (COI*)
- Vocative. Used to express inhospitality.
- Keywords:
le'o ko na rivbi fi'i nai palci je tolvri danlu
Grr! Avoid not, unwelcome evil and cowardly beast!
- je'e (COI)
- Vocative. Used to indicate reception of a message, acknowledge offers and thanks.
- Keywords: Roger, got it, gotcha, okay, you're welcome.
zo .faidon. cu pagbu cy. ly. ly.
je'e
"faidon" is in CLL.
Okay.
- je'e nai (COI*)
- Vocative. Used to deny acknowledgement or indicate that a message was not understood.
- Keywords: Excuse me? Pardon?
je'e nai .i mi na jimpe
Sorry, I don't understand.
- ju'i (COI)
- Vocative. Used to attract attention.
- Keywords: Hey.
ju'i lobypli
Hey, Lojbanist!
ju'i .djan. ko catlu ti
Hey, John, look at this.
- ju'i cu'i (COI*)
- Vocative. Used to suggest a normal level of attention, for instance as a command for troops to assume a relaxed position.
- Keywords: At ease.
ju'i cu'i sonci
At ease, soldiers.
- ju'i nai (COI*)
- Vocative. Used to draw attention away from oneself.
- Keywords: Ignore me, nevermind.
ua mi ba'o tolcri ju'i nai
Oh, I found it, nevermind.
- ke'o (COI)
- Vocative. Used to ask for repetition. (cf. je'e nai)
- Keywords: please repeat
ke'o do'u mi na pu tirna
What did you say? I didn't hear.
- ke'o nai (COI)
- Vocative. Used to express that an utterance does not need to be repeated. (cf. je'e)
- Keywords: You don't need to repeat
ke'o nai do mi'a pu tirna ca lo krefu be fi li pa
All right, we heard you the first time.
- ki'e (COI)
- Vocative. Used to express gratitude.
- Keywords: Thanks.
ki'e sai .i ti melbi
Thank you very much! It's beautiful.
- ki'e nai (COI*)
- Vocative. Used to express that an expected help was not received.
- Keywords: No thanks to you.
mi ba'o facki ki'e nai
I've found it myself, no thanks to you!
- mi'e (COI)
- Used for self-introduction.
- Keywords:
coi mi'e nolraitru be le munje
Hi, I'm the King of the Universe.
- mi'e nai (COI*)
- Use for denial of identity.
- Keywords:
coi djan
mi'e nai djan
Hi, John.
I'm not John.
- mu'o (COI)
- Vocative. Used to give up the floor.
- Keywords: over
do ma zvati mu'o
What's your location? Over.
- mu'o nai (COI*)
- Vocative. Used to continue to hold the floor.
- Keywords: more to come
i je ko'a ma mi cusku pau nai mu'o nai
And what did they tell me?
- nu'e (COI)
- Vocative. Used to make a promise.
- Keywords: I promise.
nu'e do'u mi ba xruti za lo cacra be li me'i pa
I promise I'll be back in less than an hour.
- nu'e cu'i (COI*)
- Vocative. Used to indicate that one is not promising anything.
- Keywords: No promises.
.a'i sai mi cpacu va'u do nu'e cu'i
I'll do my best to get it for you, but I don't promise anything.
- nu'e nai (COI*)
- Vocative. Used to take back a promise.
- Keywords:
nu'e do'u mi na za'u re'u pante ca le cabdei .i .yy go'i nu'e nai .i .oi ti rigni
I promise I won't complain again today. Umm... I better take that back. This stinks!
- pe'u (COI)
- Vocative. Used to make a polite request.
- Keywords: Please.
pe'u do'u ko na dunda lo cidja le danlu
Please don't feed the animals.
- re'i (COI)
- Vocative. Used to express readiness to listen.
- Keywords: Ready to receive.
re'i do'u do ma sisku
Yes? What were you looking for?
- re'i nai (COI*)
- Vocative. Used to indicate not being ready to listen or pay attention.
- Keywords: Not ready to receive.
ko denpa ze'a lo mentu re'i nai
Just wait a minute please.
- ta'a (COI)
- Vocative. Used to interrupt.
- Keywords: Excuse me, pardon me
ta'a da ma stuzi lo vimku'a
Excuse me, could someone tell me where the bathroom is?
- vi'o (COI)
- Vocative. Used to indicate readiness to comply.
- Keywords: Wilco (ack and will comply), will do.
pe'u do'u ko kargau lo canko
vi'o
Could you please open a window?
Sure.
- doi (DOI)
- Vocative. Used to identify intended listener.
- Keywords:
ko ti klama doi gerku
Come here doggie.
- do'u (DOhU)
- Terminator for COI and DOI phrases. (cf. doi, be'e, co'o, coi, fe'o, fi'i, je'e, ju'i, ke'o, ki'e, mi'e, mu'o, nu'e, pe'u, re'i, ta'a, vi'o)
- Keywords: end vocative
Notes
- coi co'o and doi do'u were removed. No special definition needed.
- nu'e cu'i was changed to "non-promise", becasue "promise realease" didn't seem to fit the scale. To release someone else from a promise one could use perhaps nu'e nai dai?
- Merge COI and DOI post-dotside? — donri