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Re: new parts of speech/cases

From:Roger Mills <romilly@...>
Date:Wednesday, May 1, 2002, 5:05
Danny Wier wrote:


>From: "Jake X" <alwaysawake247@...> > >> No, proverb is not an actual term. It's just carrying on the tradition of >> "pronoun" i.e. in place of a noun. >> For example, the following sentence. >> >> Mohammad Ali converted. >> >> You can change "Mohammad Ali," to "he," and he stands in place of the >> subject. >> >> My friends and I were thinking about words that could have the same >function >> as a pronoun only with verbs. For example: >> >> Mohammamed Ali converted, and others "did so." >> >> In English, I cannot think ov a word that follows that function to clone
a
>> previously mentioned verb. But it was theoretical.
Well, you just used a proverb "did (so)"; it's just that the technical term probably isn't used outside of linguistics classrooms......
> >Oh I'm sorry, I had you wrong. You do have a good point. I guess the best
we
>can do for a verb substitute is to use "to do". It does sort of represent >the "generic verb". > >But you have to use "to be" if you want to replace stative or passive
verbs,
>so it's not universal
Along with forms of "have". Brit.Engl. uses "do" in places where US wouldn't-- "He doesn't seem as happy as he used to do" or somesuch IIRC.
> >So y'all's conlangs... what do you have that might relate?
Colloquial Kash can use _yale_ 'there is/are' where we would have 'be' or 'do' (or repeat the previous verb in more formal usage); or the perf. marker _mende_ when perf. tenses are involved. Mostly in answer to questions however. H. hanahanga? 'are you eating?' (ha- 2s, nahan, -ka Q) K. yale 'yes, I am' (ta yale 'no I'm not) Ç: yacosaka? 'did he go? C: yale 'yes, he did' (ta yale 'no, he didn't) S: mende inahanga? 'have they eaten?" T: mende 'yes, they have' (ta mende) Otherwise you have to do things like: melo macosa, omo ta melo erek 'I want to go, but erek doesn't (want to)'
> >~Danny~