Re: Underspecified verbs?

jesse stephen bangs wrote:

> The system I've designed has six different core noun cases, operating
> across three different semantic variables.  The variables are Intention,
> Causation, and Participation, and the various roles that I have are:
>
>           Intent.    Cause.    Part.
> Actor       +          +        +
> Agent       -          +        +
> Participant -          -        +
> Origin      -          +        -
> Causant     +          +        -
> Object      -          -        -
>
> These would allow for a wide variety of meanings operating off of the same
> root.
I don't know how plausible this is, but it's quite neat!  Tokana is sort of
like this, although there's considerably less flexibility (and fewer cases).
One terminological quibble:  I would call your first case "agent" and your
second case "actor", rather than the way you have it.  Traditionally the term
"agent" implies volitionality, whereas the term "actor"--at least when
contrasted with "agent"--implies non-volitionality.

Matt.