imperative mood

[Logical Language Group <lojbab@access.digex.net>]

>> Um.  Well, Jorge is of the opinion that {e'u do} is exactly equivalent
>> to {ko}.
>
>I wouldn't say exactly equivalent, but they both would be in the
>imperative mood.  {e'u do} is more precise, because it says what type of
>imperative it is:  a suggestion.  Other possibilities would be {e'o do}
>for a request, {ei do} for a command.

I don't think the "do" version is necessarily imperative.  My kid left
his wagon on the driveway last night, although he said he brought it in.
If I had checked, I might have said ".e'u do na nenri cpacu le [wagon]"
which is NOT a suggestion that he not bring it in.

For petition (.e'o), I might say the Lojban for "Please tell me it isn't
true!" which emotively has an "e'o" component on the main bridi and an
".a'o" component on the subordinate.  You don't really want the person
to tell you it isn't true, if it really is - so it is NOT an imperative.
Likewise ".ei" can express a perceived obligation without necessarily
commanding it - and stating the obligation is not necessarily the same
as suggesting it.  I could tell a long adoption-related story now to
back this up, but I won't.  In all cases, though, I think "ko" is a
indication of imperative mood that overrides any implicatures of the
attitudinals.

lojbab