2.6 Variant bridi structure
When there are one or more occurrences of the cmavo zo'e at the end of a bridi, they may be omitted, a process called “ellipsis”. Example 2.11 (p. 18) and Example 2.12 (p. 18) may be expressed thus:
- Example 2.14
| mi | tavla | do |
- I talk to you (about something in some language).
- Example 2.15
| do | tavla | mi | ta |
- You talk to me about that thing (in some language).
Note that Example 2.13 (p. 18) is not subject to ellipsis by this direct method, as the zo'e in it is not at the end of the bridi.
2.6 Variant bridi structure
Consider the sentence
- Example 2.16
| mi | [cu] | vecnu | ti | ta | zo'e |
| seller-x1 | - | sells | goods-sold-x2 | buyer-x3 | price-x4 |
| I | - | sell | this | to that | for some price. |
- I sell this-thing/these-things to that-buyer/those-buyers.
(the price is obvious or unimportant)
Example 2.16 (p. 19) has one sumti (the x1) before the selbri. It is also possible to put more than one sumti before the selbri, without changing the order of sumti:
- Example 2.17
| mi | ti | [cu] | vecnu | ta |
| seller-x1 | goods-sold-x2 | - | sells | buyer-x3 |
| I | this | - | sell | to that |
- (translates as stilted or poetic English)
I this thing do sell to that buyer.
- Example 2.18
| mi | ti | ta | [cu] | vecnu |
| seller-x1 | goods-sold-x2 | buyer-x3 | - | sells |
| I | this | to that | - | sell |
- (translates as stilted or poetic English)
I this thing to that buyer do sell.
Example 2.16 (p. 19) through Example 2.18 (p. 19) mean the same thing. Usually, placing more than one sumti before the selbri is done for style or for emphasis on the sumti that are out-of-place from their normal position. (Native speakers of languages other than English may prefer such orders.)
If there are no sumti before the selbri, then it is understood that the x1 sumti value is equivalent to zo'e; i.e. unimportant or obvious, and therefore not given. Any sumti after the selbri start counting from x2.
- Example 2.19
| ta | [cu] | melbi | |
| object/idea-x1 | - | is-beautiful | (to someone by some standard) |
| That/Those | - | is/are beautiful. |
- That is beautiful.
Those are beautiful.
when the x1 is omitted, becomes:
