[lojban-beginners] Re: distinction between gismu & cmavo

[Pierre Abbat <phma@phma.optus.nu>]

On Sunday 20 May 2007 13:55, Vid Sintef wrote:
> So, {mi} is a cmavo, and an article isn't required for a cmavo to be used
> as a sumti because, I suppose, cmavos don't have any place structure?

Many different kinds of words are cmavo. {mi} and {do} and {ko'a} are 
pronouns - or pro-sumti, since what they stand for doesn't have to be a 
cmene - and can be a sumti without an article. {du} and {go'i} and {no'a} are 
pro-verbs (though {du} doesn't have an antecedent), and act just like brivla, 
including taking an article to make a sumti. So {ko'a du le go'i}. {e} and 
{joi} and {bi'i} are conjunctions, and there's no way to use them as a sumti, 
except by quoting them (zo joi vasru ci lerfu). Then there are discursives, 
attitudinals, terminators, and various other parts of speech, all of which 
are cmavo.

phma