Re: THEORY: questions

> >It really seems that each language has its own expression for this, so
> >it would probably be "more realistic" to come up with an original
> >phrase for a conlang instead of translating cats and dogs.
>
>
> Swedish has "Det regnar småspik" -- i.e. small nails -- but we also have
> the expression "Regnet står som spön i backen" -- 'the rain stands like
> rods in the ground'.
Finnish has

'sataa jalkarättejä' (I actually never heard this one before, ever. My dad
just told it to me when I asked if there were other than the one I mention
below).

[there/it] rains foot-rags(!?)'), jalkarättejä is in partitive plural,
because it is a plural subject of an intransitive verb (okay, I admit, the
rule's way more complicated than that. I have actually not seen an actual
rule for it except that 'if it (the subject) in Swedish (or English) can be
replaced by a formal subject (it, there) and the subject itself be placed
after the verb, it should be partitive plural, otherwise not'. I knew I've
should've asked my teacher the real rules, but it's alot easier to teach
20-25 Swedish pupils this way, than in any other way.
and

'sataa saavista kaatamalla' (this is a lot more common)
[it] rains (by) pouring from a bucket.

rains bucket.(from) pouring.(by)
the pouring(by) is actually a third infinitive with some case-ending whose
name I'm too sleepy to recall.
(Ok, this interlinear was bad, but I'm really really tired).

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