Re: Standard Average European

Selon Campbell Nilsen :
> I think that French word order works like this:
>
> If the object is a regular noun, then there is SVO word order.
> If it's a pronoun, Latin word order comes in, and you have SOV.
>
>
Hey, I'm French. I don't think you can teach me French word order.

Moreover, what you wrote is only true of Written French. Spoken French
doesn't have object pronouns (they are personal affixes, which are used
when the object is definite, whether it's expressed or not. Indefinite
objects don't have verbal agreement). And word order is topic-comment,
regardless of the function of the topic.

e.g.: /sga'la ZlE'vy i'jER/: It's that guy that I saw yesterday
/ga/: guy
/s- -'la/: that
/Z/: personal prefix, first person singular subject
/l/: personal prefix, third person singular object
/E/: conjugated form, third person singular, marks past when used with a
past participle (identical to, and derived from, the present tense of
/a'vwaR/: to have)
/vy/: past participle of /'vwaR/: to see
/i'jER/: yesterday

Written French for this sentence, without changing the vocabulary, would be:
J'ai vu ce gars-là hier.
Or, to emphasise the object:
C'est ce gars-là que j'ai vu hier.

The similarity is clear, but the Spoken French is still quite different.
--
Christophe Grandsire-Koevoets.

http://christophoronomicon.blogspot.com
http://www.christophoronomicon.nl

You need a straight mind to invent a twisted conlang.

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