The question of whether "i" terminates a statement or begins one may
not seem to make a lot of difference,
but for me it determines whether I place the "i" at the end or
beginning of a written line and determines when I pause in speech
between statements.
From the syntax rules, there seems to be no distinction, because "i"
mainly serves as a statement separator,
and at the beginning of an utterance as well as at the end the "i" is
permitted but optional.
The critical question for interpreting the "i" may be: what happens
when there is a long pause between statements, or perhaps a speaker turn?
At what point is the prior statement complete, ready to wrap and ship,
fully committed?
It is clear that no statement is complete until you have seen the "i"
(or "niho"...),
and if it hasn't emerged yet, we are still waiting to see how the
statement may yet turn out.
Most bridi do not have every sumti place filled, but even if all the
places are filled and then a delay stretches on and on,
you cannot tell whether there is still a "vau zoho" to come, or a "fau
lo nu lo xarju ba vofli", or a "giha mi bebna".
Until you hear the "i", you are just left hanging.
That is why "i" terminates statements, and why I place it at the end
of written lines, and before a spoken pause if I pause.
Syntax like "i je bo" makes it seem like "i" may be starting this
statement, but I think not.
The "i" is terminating the previous statement, even if that statement
is empty.
"i i je bo fagri" and "i je bo fagri" are equally grammatical utterances,
while "je bo fagri" is ungrammatical because "je" does not connect
with anything on its LHS.
This made me wonder whether "niho" and "nohi" should be treated the
same as "i", and now I think not.
First, even though people try to do it, you cannot say "... niho ba bo
...".
The "jek/joik/stag BO" connects two statements together, and this does
not work over a paragraph break.
Separate paragraphs do not connect this way.
Second, when you are finishing one statement, you often do not know
whether the next statement is going to be in a new paragraph.
You haven't decided what you will say next yet at that point.
Only after the delay for thought in between statements might you newly
realize: now I'm gonna turn to something different.
And since it is different, it won't be connected to the previous
statement logically or with a tag.
That is why I now begin new paragraphs with the niho or nohi at the
start of the written line, and after a possible spoken pause.
The "i" that optionally terminates the prior statement may or may not
be included just before the "niho".
E.g.
mi pu gleki lo nu penmi do i
je bo mi terpa lo nu rinsa do i
niho mi ba finti lo se cukta poi srana lo nu terpa i
mihe bremenli