Part 3
Building we
The visit moves to the table, and the pronouns begin to gather. lo stands before a singular pronoun exactly as it stands before a noun, and the plural persons appear:
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| first | mia | lo mia (we, us) |
| second | thia | lo thia (you all) |
| third | shia | lo shia (they, them) |
lo mia shea lothea.
PL 1SG peace love.
lo shia to shua.
PL 3SG PST come.
One particle, three new pronouns, and the table is full.
01Two plurals in one clause
When both subject and object are plural, each lo opens its own phrase, and position keeps them apart:
lo mia lo shia nila.
PL 1SG PL 3SG see.
Read it slowly: the first lo belongs to we, the second to them, and the seam between the phrases falls exactly where the subject ends. This is the same audible boundary every Phi sentence keeps, now doing its work twice in five words.
02Who belongs to we
lo mia gathers the speaker and others, and the conversation decides who the others are. When membership matters, say it: name the participants, or draw the line with a second clause.
mia nela thia
1SG COORD 2SG
lo mia wepu. thia ma wepu.
PL 1SG go. 2SG NEG go.
The coordination builds the exact group; the contrast clause fences one member out of it. Both moves are ordinary sentences, which is Phi's answer to membership everywhere: the pronoun gathers, and the speakers do the arithmetic aloud when the arithmetic matters.
Practicegather the table
- We love peace.
- Are you all at peace?
- I thank you all.
- We see them. Keep both plurals in their seats.
Answers: 1 lo mia shea lothea. 2 wa lo thia shea nai. 3 mia lo thia whaline. 4 lo mia lo shia nila. The first lo gathers the seers, the second the seen, and the verb closes over both.