Imperatives in split-S languages (was ...)

Hallo!

On Mon, 20 Sep 2004 17:36:07 +0100,
Tamas Racsko <tracsko@...> wrote:

> On 19 Sep 2004 J?rg Rhiemeier <joerg_rhiemeier@WEB...> wrote:
> > > Quality verbs (used for adjectives) take S_o
> > >
> > > "Transitive and Intransitive verbs may be placed in the imperative. Quality
> > > verbs cannot."
> > >
> > > This sounds pretty cool!
> >
> > And it makes sense, as the quality verbs are not about actually *doing*
> > something.  It is the same way in my conlang Old Albic (a fluid-S
> > language).
>
>   AFAIK |tasy| 'be-ill' is a quality verb in Guarani: |xe rasy| 'I
> am-ill', |nde rasy| 'you are-ill', |hasy| < *|ha'e tasy| 'he/she is-
> ill', |nda.ore.rasy.i| 'we-are-not-ill'.
>
>   If this verb has no imperative, how can English sentence 'Do not
> be ill!' is translated into Guarani?  Or in Old Albic?
I cannot speak for Guarani, but in Old Albic one would use
a circumlocution `Don't make that you are ill' or `Make that
you are not ill':

Na  cara     am   gramascha.
not make-IMP that ill-be-2SG.P

Cara     am   na  gramascha.
make-IMP that not ill-be-2SG.P

Greetings,

Jörg.