Re: NAT: Scandinavian word order
| From: | Lars Henrik Mathiesen <thorinn@...> |
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| Date: | Monday, January 10, 2000, 18:42 |
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> Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2000 18:03:23 +0100
> From: BP Jonsson <bpj@...>
> Early Medieval Scandinavian was sometimes V1 in consecutive sentences,
> especially in legal texts -- "Drepr maðr mann blah blah blah" --, but that
> seems to have died out even in Icelandic. Probably it arose from sentences
> beginning with a temporal adverb.
Actually, there's an if-then construction in Danish that is similar,
but I don't know if it's a carryover from this mediaeval usage.
Instead of saying 'Hvis S1 V1 [O1 ...], [så] V2 S2 [O2 ...]' you can
just say 'V1 S1 [O1 ...], [så] V2 S2 [O2 ...].' This is somewhat
marked, and suitable for dramatic pronouncements, sports journalism
and song texts. Examples:
Blir hun her, så går jeg! If she stays, I leave!
Scorer de nu, er de i finalen!
If they score now, they're in the final!
Glemmer du, så husker jeg det ord for ord... [very romantic song]
If you forget, I'll remember word for word...
Er du en trold får du børn med en heks. [nursery rhyme]
If you're a troll you'll have children with a witch.
Don't you have that in Swedish?
Lars Mathiesen (U of Copenhagen CS Dep) <thorinn@...> (Humour NOT marked)