Chapter 13: Oooh! Arrgh! Ugh! Yecch! Attitudinal and Emotional Indicators

15. A sample dialogue

The following dialogue in Lojban illustrates the uses of attitudinals and protocol vocatives in conversation. The phrases enclosed in “sei … se'u” indicate the speaker of each sentence.

✥15.1    la rik. .e la .alis. nerkla le kafybarja
Rick and Alice in-go to-the coffee-bar.
Rick and Alice go into the coffee bar.

✥15.2 .i sei la rik. cusku se'u
    ta'a ro zvati be ti
    mi baza speni ti .iu
[Comment] Rick says, [end-comment]
    [Interrupt] all at this-place,
    I [future] [medium] am-spouse-to this-one [love].
Rick said, “Sorry to break in, everybody.
    Pretty soon I'm getting married
    to my love here.”

✥15.3 .i sei la djordj. cusku se'u
    a'o ko gleki doi ma
[Comment] George says, [end-comment]
    [Hope] [You-imperative] are-happy, O [who?].
George said, “I hope you'll be happy, um, ...?”

✥15.4 .i sei la pam. cusku se'u
    pe'u .alis.
    xu mi ba terfriti
        le nunspenybi'o
[Comment] Pam says,
    [Please] Alice, [end-comment]
    [Is it true?] I [future] receive-offer-of
        the event-of-spouse-becoming?
Pam said, “Please, Alice, am I going to be
    invited to the wedding?”

✥15.5 .i sei la mark. cusku se'u
    coi baza speni
    a'o le re do lifri
        le ka xamgu
[Comment] Mark says, [end-comment]
    [Greetings] [future] [medium] spouse(s),
    [Hope] the two of-you experience
        the-property-of being-happy
Mark said, “Hello, spouses-to-be.  I hope both of
    you will be very happy.”

✥15.6 .i sei la rik. cusku se'u
    mi'e .rik. doi terpreti
[Comment] Rick says, [end-comment]
    [I am] Rick, O questioners.
Rick said, “My name is Rick, for those of you who
    want to know.”

✥15.7 .i sei la .alis. cusku se'u
    nu'e .pam. .o'ero'i
    do ba zvati
[Comment] Alice says, [end-comment]
    [Promise-to] Pam, [closeness] [emotional]
    you [future] are-at.
Alice said, “I promise you'll be there, Pam honey.”

✥15.8 .i sei la fred. cusku se'u
    .uinaicairo'i
    mi ji'a prami la .alis.
    fe'o .rik.
[Comment] Fred says, [end-comment]
    [Happy] [not] [emphatic] [emotional]
    I [additionally] love Alice.
    [Over and out to] Rick.
“I love Alice too,” said Fred miserably.  “Have a
    nice life, Rick.”

✥15.9 .i la fred. cliva
Fred leaves.
And he left.

✥15.10   .i sei la rik. cusku se'u
    fi'i ro zvati
    ko pinxe pa ckafi
        fi'o pleji mi
[Comment] Rick says, [end-comment]
    [Welcome-to] all at-place,
    [You-imperative] drink one coffee
        with-payer me.
Rick said, raising his voice, “A cup of coffee
    for the house, on me.”

✥15.11   .i sei la pam. cusku se'u
    be'e selfu
[Comment] Pam says, [end-comment]
    [Request to speak to] server.
Pam said, “Waiter!”

✥15.12   .i sei le selfu cu cusku se'u
    re'i [end-comment]
[Comment] The server says,
    [Ready to receive].
The waiter replied, “May I help you?”

✥15.13   .i sei la pam. cusku se'u
    e'o ko selfu
    le traji xamgu ckafi
    le baza speni
    fi'o selpleji mi
[Comment] Pam says, [end-comment]
    [Petition] [You-imperative] serve
    the (superlatively good) coffee
    to-the [future] [medium] spouse
    with-payment me.
Pam said, “One Jamaica Blue for the lovebirds here,
    on my tab.”

✥15.14   .i sei le selfu cucusku se'u
    vi'o
[Comment] The server says, [end-comment]
    [Will comply].
“Gotcha”, said the waiter.

✥15.15   .i sei la rik. cusku se'u
    ki'e .pam.
[Comment] Rick says, [end-comment]
    [Thanks O] Pam.
“Thanks, Pam”, said Rick.

✥15.16   .i sei la pam. cusku se'u
    je'e
[Comment] Pam says, [end-comment]
    [Acknowledge].
“Sure”, said Pam.

✥15.17   .i sei la djan. cusku se'u
    .y. mi .y. mutce spopa .y.
    le nu le speni si .y.
    ba speni .y. .y.
    su .yyyyyy. mu'o
[Comment] John says, [end-comment]
    [Uh] I [uh] very [nonexistent gismu] [uh]
    the event-of the spouse [erase] [uh]
    [future] spouse [uh] [uh]
    [erase all] [uh] [over]
John said, “I, er, a lotta, uh, marriage,
    upcoming marriage, ....  Oh, forget it.
    Er, later.”

✥15.18   .i sei la djordj. cusku se'u
    ke'o .djan. zo'o
[Comment] George says, [end-comment]
    [Repeat O] John [humor].
“How's that again, John?” said George.

✥15.19   .i sei la pam. cusku se'u
    ju'i .djordj.
    .e'unai le kabri bazi farlu
[Comment] Pam says, [end-comment]
    [Attention] George,
    [Warning] the cup [future] [short] falls
“George, watch out!” said Pam.  “The cup's falling!”

✥15.20   .i le kabri cu je'a farlu
The cup indeed falls.
The cup fell.

✥15.21   .i sei la djan. cusku se'u
    e'o doi djordj. zo'o rapygau
[Comment] John says, [end-comment]
    [Petition] O George [humor] repeat-cause.
John said, “Try that again, George!”

✥15.22   .i sei la djordj. cusku se'u
    co'o ro zvati pe secau la djan. ga'i
[Comment] George says, [end-comment]
    [Partings] all at-place without John [superiority]
“Goodbye to all of you,” said George sneeringly,
    “except John.”

✥15.23   .i la djordj. cliva
George leaves.
George left.