The following cmavo are discussed in this section:
ke'a KOhA relativized sumti
This pro-sumti is used in relative clauses (explained in Chapter 8) to indicate how the sumti being relativized fits within the clause. For example:
10.1) mi catlu lo mlatu poi [zo'e] zbasu
ke'a lei slasi
I see a cat such-that something-unspecified makes
the-thing-being-relativized [the cat] from-some-mass-of plastic.
I see a cat made of plastic.
If “ke'a” were omitted from Example 10.1, it might be confused with:
10.2) mi catlu lo mlatu poi [ke'a]
zbasu lei slasi
I see a cat such-that the-thing-being-relativized
[the cat] makes a-mass-of plastic
I see a cat that makes plastic.
The anaphora cmavo “ri” cannot be used in place of “ke'a” in Example 10.1 and Example 10.2, because the relativized sumti is not yet complete when the “ke'a” appears.
Note that “ke'a” is used only with relative clauses, and not with other embedded bridi such as abstract descriptions. In the case of relative clauses within relative clauses, “ke'a” may be subscripted to make the difference clear (see Chapter 8).