BPFK Section: Intensifiers

Proposed Definitions And Examples

Proposed Definition of cai

cai (CAI)

Intensity Indicator. Used to express an extremely intense attitude. When following an indicator or vocative, it expresses that this attitude is extremely intense. Highest part of a seven point scale. See also: sai, ru'e, cu'i, nai, pei, the preface.

• Keywords: intense emotion

Examples of cai Usage

.oi cai le mi puzu se prami cu jai tcica fi le nu jbera le jdini .i je na xruti
(Extreme complaint), my long-ago beloved is involved with deceiving someone into lending money, and didn't return it.
Holy Fucking Shit! My old ex is a thief!

.uu cai do bilma fi ma
That's so awful! You poor thing! What are you ill with?

Proposed Definition of cu'i

cu'i (CAI)

Intensity Indicator.

Used to express a neutral attitude. When following an indicator or vocative, it expresses that neither this attitude nor its opposite applies. Middle point of a seven point scale. See also: cai, sai, ru'e, nai, pei, the preface.

• Keywords: neutral emotion

Examples of cu'i Usage

.i mi na sipna .ui cu'i
I'm not asleep, meh.

ju'o cu'i la lojban cu racli bangu i ku'i ju'o sai lo jbopre ta'e na racli prenu
I'm not certain if Lojban is a rational language, but I am very sure that Lojbanists are habitually not rational people.

Proposed Definition of pei

pei (CAI)

Indicator Question. Attached to an indicator or vocative, asks the listener for an intensity for which that word applies to the listener's attitude. Otherwise it asks for the attitude (UI and intensity) of the listener. See also: cai, sai, ru'e, cu'i, nai, the preface.

• Keywords: emotion ?, emotional question

Examples of pei Usage

ii ro'a fi'i pei
(Social fear) Am I welcome?
Ehhh, I hope I'm not interrupting anything ...

e'e pei mi'o darlu bau la lojban
Do you feel competent about us presenting our argument in Lojban?

mu'a pei
Such as?

.ie pei li re ce li re cu se pamei
Do you agree that 2 in a set with 2 is a set with one member?

Proposed Definition of ru'e

ru'e (CAI)

Intensity Indicator. Used to express a weak attitude. When following an indicator or vocative, it expresses that this attitude is particularly weak. Just above the middle position of a seven-point scale. See also: cai, sai, cu'i, nai, pei, the preface.

• Keywords: weak emotion

Examples of ru'e Usage

i la camgusmis cusku zo lobjan u'i ru'e
Heh, Camgusmis said "Lobjan".

.oi ru'e mi pu zi ze'a jitro le skami pe le mi mamta sepi'o la'o gy VNC gy ce'o la'o gy ssh gy
I am mildly annoyed about just spending a while controlling my mother's computer with VNC, then with ssh.

Proposed Definition of sai

sai (CAI)

Attitudinal Intensity Indicator. Used to express a strong attitude. When following an indicator or vocative, it expresses that this attitude is strong. Just below the top position of a seven-point scale. See also: cai, ru'e, cu'i, nai, pei, the preface.

• Keywords: strong emotion

Examples of sai Usage

.oi sai mi pu ze'u denpa le nu mi te benji le se dunda le mi mamta .i ku'i mutce nabmi
Agh. I waited for a long time for the receipt of a present from my mother. However, it's very problematic.

.u'i sai xu do djica lo nu catra ba'e ro sfani
Hahaha! Do you want to kill all flies?

Notes

On occasion, members of selma'o COI has been combined with pei with the intended meaning of a "vocative question". For instance, "je'e pei" is used to mean "Did you understand that?" The CLL does not explicitly address such constructs. The present proposal expressly permits this usage, and is based on an interpretation of disparate parts of the CLL in context, as well as established usage patterns.

Impact

Clarified the meaning of COI + pei.

Poll

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