Chapter 17 Coordination and contrast
Alternative: sola
The third conjunction, sola, presents alternatives. It is Phi's ordinary "or."
mia theo sola sheluo.
1SG read DISJ listen.
thia shea sola maeli pula.
2SG peace DISJ quiet wish.
Open versus closed alternatives
Like English "or," sola can have an inclusive reading that allows both alternatives or an exclusive reading that permits only one. Context often settles the reading. When the difference matters, another sentence states whether both are possible or one must be chosen.
A plain statement can use sola for available choices or recurring alternatives. Questions and conditions are also common homes for it.
With the question particle wa, sola presents the alternatives inside a yes-or-no question:
wa thia theo sola sheluo.
Q 2SG read DISJ listen.
wa sileta sulae nai sola howeli pelui nai.
Q sun warm be DISJ wind cold be.
Alternatives between clauses
Like the other conjunctions, sola can stand between full clauses:
mia so theo sola mia so thalo.
1SG FUT read DISJ 1SG FUT walk.
thia po mia naphe sola mia po miso naphe.
2SG POT 1SG help DISJ 1SG POT REFL help.
In the second example, miso is the object of the second clause because its subject, mia, refers to the same person. The two clauses keep their own argument structure on either side of sola, which draws a fork in the sentence and leaves both paths open on the page.