9.9. Modal selbri

Consider the example:

Example 9.55.

mi	tavla	bau	la	.lojban.
I	speak	in-language	that-named	Lojban

bai	tu'a	la	.frank.
with-compeller	some-act-by	that-named	Frank.

I speak in Lojban, under compulsion by Frank.

Example 9.55 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 Example 9.55 to:

Example 9.56.

mi	tavla	bau	la	.lojban.	bai	[ku].
I	speak	in-language	that-named	Lojban	under-compulsion

In Example 9.56 , 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:

Example 9.57.

mi	tavla	bau	[ku]
I	speak	in-some-language

bai	tu'a	la	.frank.
under-compulsion-by	some-act-by	that-named	Frank.

We are also free to move the modal-plus- ku around the bridi:

Example 9.58.

bau	[ku]	bai	ku	mi	tavla
In-some-language		under-compulsion		I	speak.

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.

Example 9.59.

mi	bai	tavla	bau	la	.lojban.
I	compelledly	speak	in-language	that-named	Lojban.

In this use, the modal is like a tanru modifier semantically, although grammatically it is quite distinct. Example 9.59 is very similar in meaning to:

Example 9.60.

mi	se bapli	tavla	bau	la	.lojban.
I	compelledly	speak	in-language	that-named	Lojban.

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.

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:

Example 9.61.

mi	fi'o	kanla	fe'u	viska	do
I	with	eye		see	you.

I see you with my eye(s).

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 Chapter 14 for more on logical and non-logical connections):

Example 9.62.

mi	bai	ke	ge	klama	le	zarci
I	under-compulsion	(	both	go	to-the	market

gi	cadzu	le	bisli	[ke'e]
and	walk	on-the	ice	).

Under compulsion, I both go to the market and walk on the ice.

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.

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 Section 19.2 :

Example 9.63.

bai	tu'e	mi	klama	le	zarci
Under-compulsion	[start]	I	go	to-the	market.

.i	mi	cadzu	le	bisli	[tu'u]
	I	walk	on-the	ice	[end].

means the same thing as Example 9.62 .

Note: Either BAI modals or fi'o- plus-selbri modals may correctly be used in any of the constructions discussed in this section.