Lesson 3
cimoi seltadni
Names and Vocatives
cmene gi'e nunjundi valsi
3.1
Names
cmene
(Lojban names) cmene are a special class of word - a whole part of
speech, and one of only three major parts of speech in Lojban. They
are the most easily recognized, and the most flexible in terms of
their form. Lojban cmene can be easily recognized, both in sound and
in print, using two major clues:
- all cmene end in a consonant followed by a pause (represented by a
period in Lojban text).
- cmene either occur at the start of an expression (and are unmarked),
or they are marked with the words la or coi., or one of their close
relatives.
cmene (names) are identifiable as special word forms by the following
characteristics:
a. cmene almost always end in one or more consonants - C, CC, or
possibly CCC.
b. cmene may contain the letter y as a normal, non-hyphenating vowel.
They are the only Lojban word type that may contain the two
diphthongs iy and uy.
c. cmene are always followed in speech by a pause after the final
consonant.
d. cmene are generally preceded by the "la" (or words of the same
selma'o) when not used in direct address or vocative reference;
i.e., when talking about that which is named.
e. cmene may optionally be preceded by the cmavo "doi" (English "O,
..." indicating direct address or vocative reference; i.e., when
talking to that which is named. They may also be preceded by words
in selma'o COI, which also supports direct address. However, cmene
preceded by selma'o COI require a pause or doi between them to
ensure resolvability under all conditions. In informal direct
address outside of sentence constructs, cmene also may appear
without any preceding cmavo (e.g. calling out "doi djan." or just
"djan."). Thus "ju'idoi djan.", or "ju'i. djan." are acceptable
ways to get John's attention (ju'i is in selma'o COI).
f. The first letter of a cmene should not be capitalized in print,
since this can cause confusion with abnormal stress capitalization.
When used in a foreign language text, this capitalization is
probably acceptable.
g. cmene are usually written with . to mark the mandatory pauses;
without capitalization, this makes them easier to recognize.
cmene meeting these criteria may be invented, Lojbanized from names in other languages, or formed by
appending a consonant onto a cmavo, a gismu, a le'avla or a lujvo. Examples of cmene built from Lojban
words are:
la pav. "the One" from cmavo "pa", with rafsi "pav", meaning "one"
la sol. "the Sun"
from the gismu "solri", meaning "solar", or actually
"pertaining to the Sun"
la ralj. "Chief", as a title
from the gismu "ralju", meaning "principal" la nol. "Lord"
or "Lady", from the gismu "nobli", with rafsi "nol",
meaning "noble".
Note: a literal translation of the cmavo "la" is "the one named..."
It is also possible to make any brivla act like a cmene by using the
formal direct address grammar, as in: doi solri (which is the direct
address "O Sun!", that might be used by sun-worshippers or poets). In
such usage, the word is still a brivla; it is the grammar that renders
it cmene-like.
To Lojbanize a name from the various natural languages, apply the
following rules:
a. Eliminate double consonants and silent letters.
b. Add a final s or n (or some other consonant that sounds good) if
the name ends in a vowel.
c. Convert all phonemes (sounds) to their closest Lojban equivalent.
d. Preferably use the penultimate stress rule for pronunciation. Use
close-commas and capitalization in written Lojban when it is
necessary to preserve non-standard syllabication or stress.
e. cmene are not required to be capitalized, and doing so can cause
confusion by possibly indicating abnormal stress.
f. cmene may not have the syllables la, lai, or doi (/lah/, /lai/, or
/doi/), within them unless immediately preceded by a consonant. If
any of these syllables appear at the front of the cmene or preceded
by a vowel, they should be converted to something different.
Possible substitutions include ly, ly'i, and do'i (/luh/,
/luh,hee/, and /do,hee/), respectively.
A note on Lojbanizing names from other languages:
Lojbanized names seldom use the consonantal buffer ('), since the
combination of letters with two vowels surrounding an /h/ or an /h/
sound is rare in other languages. Instead, Lojbanized names commonly
will use a close-comma, which may be pronounced as a glide or as a
consonantal buffer. The consonantal buffer is preferred and will
sound more Lojbanic, but the result may be less recognizable to a
source language speaker.
Some examples of Lojbanized names are:
English "Mary" meris. /MEH,rees/ or
meiris. /MEI,rees/
English "Smith" smit. /smeet/
English "Jones" djonz. /jonz/
English "John" djan. /jahn/ or
jan. /zhahn/
English "Alice" .alis. /AH,lees/
English "Elise" .eLIS. /eh,LEES/
English "Johnson" djansn. /JAHN,sn/
English "William" .uiliam. /WEE,lyahm/ or
.uil,iam. /WEEL,yahm
English "Brown" braun. /braun/
English "Charles" tcarlz. /CHAHR,lz/
French "Charles" carl. /SHAHR,l/
French "De Gaulle" dyGOL. /dah,GOL/
German "Heinrich" xainrix. /KHAIN,reekh/
Spanish "Joaquin" xuaKIN. /khwah,KEEN/
Russian "Svetlana" sfietLAnys. /sfyeht,LAH,nuhs/
Russian "Khrushchev" xrucTCOF. /khruush,CHOF/
Hindi "Krishna" kricnas. /KREESH,nahs/
Polish "Lech Walesa" lex. valensas. /lehkh.vah,LEHN,sahs/ or
.uex va,uensas. /wehkh.vahw,WEHN,sahs/
Vietnamese "Nguyen" n,uiN. /n,wee,N/ or /ng,wee,N/
Spanish "Don Quixote" don kicotes. /don.kee,SHO,tehs/
(modern Spanish don kixotes.) /don.kee,KHO,tehs/
(Mexican dialect don ki'otes.) /don.kee,HO,tehs/
Chinese "Mao Zedong" maudzedy,n. /mau,dzeh,DUH,n/ or
/mau,dzeh,DUH,ng/
Japanese "Fujiko" fudjikos. /fu,JEE,kos/ or
fujikos. /fu,ZHEE,kos/
English "George Bush" djordj. buc. /jorj.buush./
djiordj. buc. /jyorj.buush./
English "Ronald Reagan" ranld. reign. /RAH,nahld.REI,gn./
ranld reigyn. /RAH,nahld.REI,guhn./
English "Jimmy Carter" djimis. kartr. /JEE,mees.KAHR,tr./
English "Gerald Ford" djerld. ford. /JEH,rld.ford./
English "Richard Nixon" ritcrd. niksn. /REE,chrd.NEEK,sn./
English "Lyndon Johnson" lindn. djansn. /LEEN,dn.JAHN,sn./
"Canada" kenydys. /KEH,nuh,duhs./
KEnadas. /KEH,nah,dahs./
"Mexico" *MEK,si,kos. /MEHK,see,kos./
MExikos. /MEH,khee,kos.
"China" *tcainys. /CHAI,nuhs./
junGUON. /zhung,GWON./
"Australia" .astreilias. /.ah,STREI,lyahs./
.astralias. /.ah,STRAH,lyahs./
Some notes on these examples:
1. "George Bush" - Note the two possible pronunciations given. The
one which is closer to the way he pronounces his name is the
preferred one. Unfortunately, the author is not certain which he
uses himself.
2. "Canada" - These are both valid, since both pronunciations can be
heard in common usage. The version with schwa is the more English
pronunciation. The version without schwa is more French-Canadian.
Note that the counting of da'amoi terbasna (penultimate stress) does
not include syllables with schwa. Thus the version without schwa
needs capitalization in order to obtain first syllable terbasna. Most
English names will not need capitalization-marked terbasna; English
speakers tend to turn unstressed vowels into schwa for pronunciation
purposes. Try to observe this in various people's pronunciation of
everyday English words over the next few days. The same principle
holds true for unstressed English syllables containing only a single
vowel and "l", "m", "n", and "r". These turn into the vocalic
consonant pronunciations: /l/, /m/, /n/, /r/, which are also not
counted in determining da'amoi terbasna. The significant variation
from true "penultimate" stress in Lojbanized names is why we use the
Lojban term "da'amoi terbasna". This term, while similar to the
English "penultimate", is not truly identical.
3. "Mexico" and "China" - The asterisked versions are considered
invalid, in that they are Lojbanizations of the English pronunciation
of the name. They are valid Lojban names, but they would not be
recognized by the people of those countries. Wherever possible, you
should use the native pronunciation in Lojbanizing a proper name. If
you do not know the proper pronunciation and cannot look it up, go
ahead and use the English version. In the sense that a name is a
label, of course, it is correct to use any name that is going to be
understandable by your listener. As a speaker using a name, you can
technically get away with it by arguing that the meaning of la, which
precedes most uses of a name, translates literally as "that which I am
calling ...". However, in the interests of cultural neutrality, it is
strongly preferred that people use native pronunciation. Note, by the
way, that in the Chinese word for "China", we have inserted the
alternative /ng/ pronunciation for 'n' before 'g'. This is
convenient, since the Chinese actually use an /ng/ sound in their
pronunciation that is unrelated to the following letter.
4. "Australia" - Although the name in this case is not preceded by
anything that requires a pause, it is a good idea to get in the habit
of putting a period before every vowel initial name. It is not
erroneous; after all, the 'blank space' before the start of a printed
piece of text could be considered a pause. It is much harder to
remember to sometimes put in the period and to sometimes leave it out.
The second pronunciation, by the way, is closer to what most
Australians themselves use for their country name.
Now, having these examples in mind, it's your turn. Lojbanize your
name, as you wish it to be used in the class (nicknames permitted).
Also Lojbanize your full name (including middle name), as you
pronounce it. In a classroom situation, your instructor will assist
you if you have any difficulty.
Remember the rule: a Lojbanized name cannot contain the syllables
"la", "lai", or "doi" in them, unless immediately preceded by a
consonant.
One note on Lojbanization is based on observations of English-speaking
Lojbanists. Do not expect the Lojbanized name to sound exactly like
your English name. An excellent example is that English speakers
often want to insert an extra 'y' to represent a 'schwa' sound (/uh/)
before a vocalic consonant. For example, the name "Martin" can be
Lojbanized as "martn." (/MAHR,tn./), or as "martyn." (/MAHR,tuhn./).
The latter 'looks' better, but is actually more unlike the English
pronunciation than the former version, as well as being longer. The
English name "Kim" can be Lojbanized as "kim." (/keem./; this looks
identical to the English, but the short Lojban "i" sound causes one
Lojbanist to instead write her name "ki,ym." (/KEE,uhm./) to lengthen
the sound of the vowel.
The choice of how to Lojbanize your name is, of course, up to you. We
suspect that over the long course, Lojbanists will adopt names that
are easy to read and write, as well as to pronounce comfortably. An
instructor should not interfere with a student who spells his/her name
differently than expected, provided that the student pronounce it in
accordance with her/his spelling. Similarly, if after a time, a
student decides to change spellings because familiarity with the
language, this should be accepted.
Note to instructors: If you have a list of student's names, it is a
good idea to have attempted each name on your own. This will speed up
any assistance you need to give. Be prepared for surprises in how
people want their names pronounced, though. If your guess differs
from theirs, try to determine if they made a mistake, if you did, or
if you just had a different idea how to pronounce the name. As much
as possible, let them do the work. Don't just tell them your answer.
Try to quickly check each student's Lojbanization. If possible, have
blank name tags or place tags, and allow them to write their correctly
Lojbanized name. After they do so, have them wear name tags or
display place tags so everyone can see them. Then go immediately into
the next activity.
In this activity, avoid using English. Go to your instruction partner
(or one student likely to guess what is wanted) and utter the greeting
sentence as per example (3), using your name and their tag name.
Then, motion to that person to do the same with another in the class.
(This obviously will be understood if you are working with a partner.)
If necessary, point at the person they are to greet, or preferably,
let them choose themselves. Continue until everyone has greeted
another person, and have the last student greet you.
Exercise 3-1
larnuntoi cipi'epamoi
Lojbanize the following names. The last five are somewhat tricky in
that they involve foreign names. If you do not know how the native
pronunciation, use your best guess, but be prepared for differences
from the answer key.
1. John Anderson 16. Margaret McLaughlin
2. William Davis 17. Ruth Richardson
3. Charles Jones 18. Virginia Armstrong
4. Robert Cunningham 19. Jean Gallagher
5. Thomas Fitzgerald 20. Frances Elliot
6. James Kennedy 21. New York
7. Arnold Montague 22. Kentucky
8. Henry Montgomery 23. London
9. Joseph Ferguson 24. San Francisco
10. Edward Alexander 25. Poughkeepsie
11. Mary Brown 26. Netherlands
12. Elizabeth Jordan 27. Plato
13. Barbara Miller 28. Julius Caesar
14. Dorothy Thompson 29. Petrarch
15. Helen Wilson 30. Johannes Brahms
Identify these fairly well-known Lojbanized names:
1. .adolf. .xitlr. 6. mixeil. garbaTCOF.
2. crlak. xolmz. 7. .aizek. .Ezimov.
3. maRIS. .antuaNET. 8. .arnld. cuartzynegr.
4. .uinstn. tcrtcil. 9. djanis. djaplin.
5. .eibry'em. linkyn. 10. meris. tailr. mor.
3.2
Vocatives
nunjundi valsi
The next Lojban word we will introduce is coi. This word is used to
express greetings. It thus is roughly equivalent to "Hello!", and
indeed has similar usage in Lojban to its usage in English.
"coi" is one of several members of selma'o COI, which are called
vocative markers. Vocatives are used in directly addressing specific
people. Usage of COI implies that a name will follow - the person who
is being addressed. COI must be separated from the name by a pause,
or it could be absorbed into it.
Alternatively, you can follow COI with "doi" (the only member of
selma'o DOI). "doi" is another vocative marker. It has identical
grammar to the members of COI, but it doesn't require the pause. This
is because names are forbidden to have the syllable "doi" in them, so
that "doi" can never be absorbed into the name.
"doi" translates roughly into the English vocative marker "O ...", as
in the "O Father" or "O God" used by some in prayer (but not the "Oh
God" expression of emotion, which does not truly indicate direct
address.)
If a name starts with or includes the syllable "doi", it must be
modified to be Lojbanized. The recommended alternative is "do'i",
although "dei" may work when a single syllable must be retained. In
the example below, we have Lojbanized "Doyle" as "do'il."
(/DO,heel./). Another alternative capturing a common English
pronunciation of the name is "do,iyl." (/DO,yuhl/).
Examples:
coi. keroln. /shoi.KEH,roh,ln./ "Greetings, Caroline!"
coidoi betis. /shoi,doi,BEH,tees./ "Greetings, O Betty!"
doi martas. /doi,MAHR,tahs./ "O Martha!"
doi do'il. /doi,DOH,heel./ "O Doyle!"
ke'o. pit. /keh,hoh,peet./ "Repeat, Pete!"
Other members of COI include:
co'o /sho,ho/ "Partings, ..." or roughly: "Good-bye".
coico'o. /shoi,sho,ho/ "Greetings in passing, ...";
used when you meet someone to acknowledge them but to
indicate that you do not wish to begin a conversation.
(Note: This is actually two COI cmavo put together -
this is permissible with others but the meaning of
other combinations must be extrapolated from the
component words - as an extra thought exercise, try to
come up with another paired COI that is useful in
conversation, and then use it sometime with a fellow
Lojbanist.)
pe'u /peh,hu/ "Please, ..."; a request directed at a specific party.
fi'i /fee,hee/ A welcoming, an offer of hospitality, or a response to
a request such as "pe'u", which is directed back to
the requestor. This can thus be roughly translated as
"My pleasure, ...!", "Make yourself at home, ...!",
"Welcome, ...!", or in some conditions a literal
"You're welcome, ...!, such that it is not merely an
acknowledgement of "Thank you".
ki'e /kee,heh/ "Thank You, ...!"; a response to fulfilled request or
hospitality, including "fi'i".
ke'o /keh,ho/ "Please Repeat, ...!"; a request for the named person to
repeat the previous utterance, usually because it
wasn't heard correctly (although other reasons are
possible).
mi'e /mee,heh/ "I am ...!"; a self-introduction. This vocative
differs from all the others in that the name which
follows is the speaker's name rather than the
listener's.
There are several other members of COI.
You perhaps are wondering why these expressions are tied to vocatives
- why they always imply or express a name. If you think about how
they are used, though, it will appear logical. Whenever you use one
of these expressions, you clearly have an individual or several
individuals in mind. Imagine being in a large party, where someone is
leaving. You say "Good-bye" to that individual. Otherwise everyone
might take it as a hint. Similar circumstances involving multiple
people can be envisioned for each of the other words that are placed
in COI.
The words in COI (and DOI as well, of course) are part of the
'protocol' of communication. They have a minor semantic content - you
are expressing something meaningful. But the content is not
necessarily emotional, nor is it assertive (it makes no claim). You
are merely indicating your relative conversational position of the
moment with regard to your listener.
Effort has been made to isolate the vocatives from the cultural and
emotive connotations that speakers associate with them. There are,
for example, ways of conveying happiness, sadness, complaint, or other
emotions at parting that are appended into a vocative when you wish to
express those emotions. Without those explicit expressions, the
emotions should not be assumed. We will go into those emotional
indicators in a later lesson.
You can combine several vocatives (and the names which optionally
follow them) into a single sentence. For example:
fi'i. djerom. mi'e. matius.
"Welcome, Jerome! I am Matthew!"
It is also perfectly all right to reverse the order:
mi'e. matius. fi'i. djerom.
"I am Matthew! Welcome, Jerome!"
The transposition looks a little strange in English, but is not as
strange in Lojban. Matthew is introducing himself before
acknowledging the name of the person he is talking to. This might be
appropriate if he knows Jerome's name, but Jerome doesn't know his.
The English-speaking cultural ritual that indicates that the guest is
acknowledged first is not mandatory in Lojban interaction.
It is useful to think of the implications of various phrasings of
expressions such as vocatives in varying contexts before you need
them. In the middle of conversation, you are likely to fall back on
English-like practices; it is useful to know that there are
alternatives and to have them in your repertoire.
Answers to Exercise 2
Part 1
1. djan. .endrsn. 16. margret. magLAXln.
2. uiliam. deivys. 17. rut. ritcrdsn. or rut. RItcardsan.
3. tcarlz. djonz. 18. vrdjinias. .armstron.
4. rabrt. KANinxem. or 19. djin. gelygr. or djin. gelagr.
British robrt. kaningm.
5. tamys. fitsDJERld. 20. frensas. Eliat. (note the capital)
6. djeimz. KEnydis. 21. nu,IORK.
7. arnld. mantygius. 22. kentakis.
8. .enris. mantGAmr,is. or 23. lndn.
xenris. mantGAmaris.
9. djosef. frgysn. 24. san. fransiskos. or sen. frensiskos.
10. .eduard .elagzendr. 25. pykipsis.
11. meris. braun. or meiris. braun. 26.
NEderlant. (the 's' is an English addition)
12. .ilizabet. djordn. or 27. platon.
(Greek; has final "n" in some cases)
.alizabet. djorden. 28. .iulius. kaisar.
(Classical Latin) or
.iulius. tsezar. (Medieval Latin)
13. barbr,as. milr. or BARbaras. milr.
14. dorytis. tampsn. 29. petrarkas.
(Italian - Petrarca in the original)
15. .el,n. uilsn. or .xel,n. uilsn. 30. io'Anys. bramyz. (German)
Part 2
1. Adolf Hitler 6. Mikhail Gorbachev
2. Sherlock Holmes 7. Isaac Asimov
3. Marie Antoinette 8. Arnold Schwartzeneggar
4. Winston Churchill 9. Janis Joplin
5. Abraham Lincoln 10. Mary Tyler Moore
1-1
1-7