Re: Subordinate clauses

From: "John Cowan" <cowan@CCIL.ORG <mailto:cowan@...>>
Sent: Monday, June 21, 2004 3:48 PM
Subject: Re: Subordinate Clauses

 > Carsten Becker scripsit:
 >
 > > "Der Hund mit dem Mann" still does not make sense, even with the
context
 > > given. It must be "des Mannes". That's the only right possiblity. In
 > > English you wouldn't say "the dog with the man was green" either,
"the
 > > dog who was with the man was green" would be a valid possibility of
 > > course.
 >
 > I don't have any problem with "The dog with the man was green"; it has
 > to be about the dog, and it sounds perfectly idiomatic.  OTOH, maybe
 > I've been thinking about green men and dogs for too long.

Actually, I just intended to say that here "mit" wouldn't be used here.
You simply cannot say this in German in that way. A 1:1 translation does
not work here. It's rather "... den der Mann dabei hatte" or so if you
insist on keeping "with".
I'm sorry to have mixed up you others.

And, Sally, I *am* written with a "C", except you made the name fit to
Teonaht's phonology of course. But it's true, both ways of writing
"Carsten" exist, and both versions are pronounced ["ka6stn]. AFAIK it's
a worn-down form of Christian, coming from northern Germany. At least
that's what my parents explained when I asked them what my name means
perhaps about 10 years ago.

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