16 · ne sulae
People have names, and Phi wears them with two small words. ne stands directly before a name, announcing that a name is coming, so no name is ever mistaken for vocabulary. kona calls to someone, standing outside the sentence like a hand raised in greeting. And pi, at the very front of a sentence, is politeness itself. Today the friend from the well gets her name, and brings company:
I
melu shua. melu nomei ne sulae nai.
we thiku miona shua.
thiku miona nomei ne siora nai.
| new word | say it | it means |
|---|---|---|
| ne | ne | (announces a name) |
| nomei | no · me · i | name |
| we | we | also (before the added thing) |
The friend's name is sulae; a small person also arrives, and the small person's name is siora. Two grammar gifts in one scene: ne before every name, and we, also, standing before the thing it adds, exactly where you would now expect Phi to put it. (Chapter eighteen makes it official.)
II
phao: kona ne sulae. whelani.
sulae: mea. kona lopia. kia.
lopia: kia. kona ne siora. wa thia wile.
siora: lia.
| new word | say it | it means |
|---|---|---|
| kona | ko · na | (calls: o, hey) |
Calling by name (kona ne sulae) or by role: kona lopia, child. The call stands first, its own little sentence, and then the real sentence follows. The children require one question to reach an understanding.
III
sulae: pi wa lo mia mua thepalu meilo.
phao: lia. pi no shua.
lo shia mua thepalu meilo.
lo lopia mua thepalu wile. we lohau wile.
| new word | say it | it means |
|---|---|---|
| pi | pi | (at the very front: politely) |
| meilo | me · i · lo | sit |
May we sit in the garden? pi softens the question before the question even starts: politeness announced first of everything, which is the most Phi fact in this book. The answer returns it: please, come. The grown people sit; the children play; the dog has reviewed both options and chosen correctly.
IV
siora: kona misheko. kia.
misheko ma shua.
siora: kona ne misheko. The guest tries the name-word, in case the cat requires formality.
misheko ma shua.
sulae: misheko ro nulae.
lopia: lia. theula thimu.
The visiting child calls the cat, then calls it again with full honors. The cat declines both registers equally. sulae states the general law; the child confirms it with chapter twelve's oldest truth. Always.
Names, calls, and courtesy: the grammar of meeting people. Notice the shape of every polite exchange: pi first, kona outside, ne before the name: all three announce before they deliver, because respect, in this language, is never an afterthought.
The machinery, when you want it: names and the vocative are the manual's Part IV, chapter 9 (Slot 2 and Slot 0); politeness has chapter 21 to itself.