CAFE.ADV: I finally finished a story I started months ago

[C.J.Fine@BRADFORD.AC.UK]

This is a coffee-bar text that many may find difficult. It is written in what I
believe is grammatical Lojban, but in several ways is not standard (which is
what it is about).
I follow it with a list of lujvo, and a colloquial translation.

        laka lo jbota'a ku simfrica


mi la jbolanzu ckafybarja ku .uicu'i ta'enai vitke .i ge felonu jbojikca kei
gleki giku'i feloka manku .e le maljuxre seljadni .u'e.o'onai {noi te cpare
ku'o} .oi na nelci .i ru'a zo'e lenu lo vitke ku leza'i le barju loi cpare ku
.u'i.oi srana kei krici kei djica .i xajmi pei? .i lei xagrai tcati zo'u:
tu'ari na te selfu .iju da va malpezli gi'e seltcita zo kukraitcati zo'onai
.oi.ianai

ni'o so'oroiku leni mi djica co jbota'a kei pidu'emei zenba .ijecabo .eiro'i
 mi le barja ku klama .i le pa krefu belenu go'i zo'u: ki neikla .ije felenu
noda cavi jubme jenai zutse bo seljibni .o'onai kei vi'ajmi .i mi ne'a le
so'irnanca stunyxazdo ku co'a zutse .i mi lei {poi folo xagrai ku vi skicu
ku'o} .ue maltcati le djabe'i ku cpedu

.i mi mu'ilonu jbota'a kei zvati .iseki'ubo mi fo'u {goi le xazdo ge'u} co'a
tavla
.i <<lu coi li'u>>
.i <<lu coi pendo ga'inai li'u>> danfu
.i mi zo'u: <<lu .i'a do ma? se krasi li'u>> {noi fi la jbolanzu ku no'e clite
.aucu'i }
.i <<lu .i'a le nalvai jec@ta {poi do na d@juno la'a fi ke'a} cu k@rasi doi
pendo .i ri dan@s@tuna li'u>>
.i mi punoroi lo {poi ke'a le selcurmi jbinalvokselcru ku bacru ku'o} jbota'a
ku tirna .iseki'ubo co'a se mutcni .isemu'ibo le nunsimta'a ku ranji .au .i
cusku <<lu ma? le jecta ku cmene .i mi ve'a loi stuna ku puzuze'a litru li'u>>
.i le xazdo ku lenu tilsku kei naldjica li'a .ilu<< .i la'asai do noroi z@vati
.i mut@ce c@malu ga'inai gi'e pindi gi'e te d@juno so'uda li'u>>
.i <<lu .i ki'uma? do le cmene na cusku .oiri'e .i le poi{ mi ke'a klama ko'u}
xazdo jecta ku so'amei .i lo poi{ se krasi ri ku'o} prenu ku mi mutcinri li'u>>
.i lenu mi steba je fenki kei poi{ mi punai sanji ku'o} co'a tertai .i mi
fi'o se naljundi le fo'u smaji danlu fe'u co'a kixysku <<lu .i rodo'o noi
malxazdo ku'o mi'a seirxagmaupai .oile'o .i mi ledo cizra jboselcru ku
mutcinri .iku'i do to'erclite selsivni .oi li'u>>

ni'o le jatna bele barja ku tu'ami tirna .i ra <<lu do mo? raktu .o'onai li'u>>
zo'imo'i krixa .i mi lenu ba'e mi to'erclite tarti kei co'a jimpe .i co'u fenki
.ije file xazdo ku ckeji ke tatxersku smacru .i le djabe'i le sa'enai tcati
ku bevri .i ze'a pinxe

ni'o le so'irnanca goi fo'u <<lu lemi j@bosel@c@ru cu ciz@ra ki'a? li'u>> te
preti
.i mi zo'u: <<lu .i do sepi'o lo jbinalvokselcru ku bacru mu'u zo j@bota'a .i
mi lenu fetu'ado ta'ajmi kei milxe se nandu li'u>>
.i spuda lu << .i pa'aku go'ira'o .iri'anai lo ka c@laxu lo
j@binal@vok@sel@c@ru .i mi mil@xe se nandu ri'a lenu do pil@no zo cu na.e
leso'i famyma'o .i nal@mil@xe ja'a go'i ri'a lenu lodo selbri cu so'aroi se
lidne rolo sumti li'u>>

simfrica        = simxu frica   = mutual-differ
jbojikca        = lojbo jikca   = lojban-interact
maljuxre        = mabla juxre   = derogatory-clumsy
seljadni        = se jadni      = thing adorning
xagrai          = xamgu traji   = good-extreme
malpezli        = mabla pezli   = derogatory-leaf
seltcita        = se tcita      = is-labelled
kukraitcati      = kukte traji tcati = tasty-superlative-tea
jbota'a         = lojbo tavla   = lojban talk
pidu'emei       = pi du'e mei   = point-too-much-some
neikla          = nenri klama   = in-go
seljibni        = se jibni      = has-something-near
so'irnanca      = so'i nanca    = many-years
stunyxazdo      = stuna xazdo   = East-Asian
maltcati        = mabla tcati   = derogatory tea
djabe'i         = cidja bevri   = food-carry
nalvai          = na'e vajni    = not-important
danstuna        = darno stuna   = far-east
selcurmi        = se curmi      = permitted
jbinalvokselcru = jbini ke na'e voksa se bacru = between (non-vocalic
                                                sounds-uttered)
mutcni          = mutce cinri   = much interesting (also mutcinri)
tilsku          = tcila cusku   = detail express
naldjica        = na'e djica    = not want
so'amei         = so'a mei      = almost-all-some
naljundi        = na'e jundi    = not pay-attention
tertai          = te tarti      = conditions for behaviour
kixysku         = krixa cusku   = cry-out express
malxazdo        = mabla xazdo   = derogative-asian
seirxagmaupai   = sevzi xamgu zmadu pajni = self-good-more-judge
jboselcru       = lojbo se bacru        = lojban- thing-uttered
to'erclite      = to'e clite    = reverse-of-polite
selsivni        = se sivni      = has-as-private
tatxersku       = tarti xenru cusku = behave-regret-express
smacru          = smaji bacru   = quiet-utter
ta'ajmi         = tavla jimpe   = talk-understand
famyma'o        = fanmo cmavo   = end-cmavo (terminator)
nalmilxe        = na'e milxe    = not-mild




        Lojbanists aren't all the same!

I'm not a regular at the Jbolanzu coffee-bar. I enjoy talking Lojban, but I
dislike the darkness, and the awful decor - climbing implements! Somebody seems
to want the customers to think the place has climbing connections. And good
tea? They don't serve any, despite having something called "most excellent
tea".

Occasionally it gets too much for me and I have to go there. One time, I went
in and saw there were no tables free. So I sat down near an old Oriental, and
ordered some of their 'best' tea.

I'd come to speak Lojban, so I started talking.
        - Hello
        - Hello friend, he answered.
        - Where are you from? (which isn't very polite in the Jbolanzu)
        - A little country you won't have heard of, friend. It's a long way
          East.
I had never heard anybody talk Lojban with the optional inter-consonantal
sound. I was very interested, and wanted to continue the conversation.
        - What's the country called? I used to travel widely in the East. But
          he obviously didn't want to go into details.
        - I am sure you have never been there. It is very small and poor, and
          known to few.
        - Why won't you tell me the name? I've been in almost every country in
          Asia, and I am very interested in people from there.
Then frustration and anger, (that I didn't know I had) took over. Ignoring his
quiet reply, I shouted
        - All you damn Asians think you're better than us. I'm really
          interested in your strange way of talking Lojban, and you're just
          being rude and secretive!

The manager heard me, and came over, shouting
        - What are you up to?
I realised that I was the one being rude, and my anger vanished. I muttered
an apology to the Asian. The waiter brought my so-called tea, and I drank for
a while.

Then the old man said
        - How is my Lojban strange?
I answered
        - You use the interconsonantal sound, as in "j@bota'a". I find it a
          little hard to understand you.
He answered
        -I find you hard too. Not because you don't use the interconsonantal
          sound, but I find a little difficulty because you don't use "cu",
          but use lots of terminators instead. But what I really find hard is
          the way you usually put your selbri after all the sumti.