Re: Some isolating verb patterns

--- Andreas Johansson <andjo@...> wrote:

> Quoting Gary Shannon <fiziwig@...>:
>
> > --- "Pascal A. Kramm" <pkramm@...> wrote:
> >
<snip>

> >
> > Thanks for those observations. I like you ideas,
> so I
> > will incorporate them into my design.  I not so
> sure
> > about explicitly marking the present tense,
> however.
> > It almost seems as if the present should be
> unmarked.
> >
> > On the other hand, it might be that the very
> earliest
> > proto-languages consisted mainly of imperatives as
> > language might have evolved to give commands or
> > warnings to other group members, so maybe the
> > imperative is the most "basic" form and should be
> the
> > one unmarked.
>
> Is there any pressing need not to have both the
> present tense and the imperative
> unmarked? Apart from that freaky 3rd sg present
> tense ending, that's what
> English does.
>
>
> Andreas
>
Actually, I was thinking of leaving both unmarked, but
use the SV order for the present and the VS order for
the imperative. I mentioned this in another thread
(Let's construction). (relevant lines quoted below)

Pascal also noted: "Besides, if it's Latin-based, you
should use q for kw."

Just to be curmudgeonly I was planning on dropping Q
and C from my alphabet and using "KW", "K" and "S" to
replace them. Thus "succorro" in Latin becomes
"sukura" (help, come to the aid of) in Mutande Palu,
or whatever the heck the name of the language is going
to be.

-----quote-----
("im" is the object marker)

Tu kuran. -> You run (are running).
Kui kuran -> We run (are running).

Kuran tu! Kuran tu! -> Run! Run!
 or
Kuran kui! -> Let's run!

Sukura tu im ili! -> Help them!

as opposed to:

Sukura kui im ili!-> Let's help them!

as opposed to:

Kui sukura im ili. -> We are helping them.

The pronoun could then be the cadence marker when the
general gives the command to his troops:

Kuraaaaaaaan TU!
Quiessssssss TU! (at ease)

Just like in the English military command:

Attennnnnnnnn SHUN!

----- end quote-----

--gary

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