Re: "The" and possessives

On Tue, 22 May 2001 09:53:23 -0700 Tom Pullman <tom@...>
writes:
>    Celtic languages have an interesting feature related to this:
> I'll demonstrate with Irish because that's the only one I have much
> knowledge of.
> an cat [@n cAt_d] - the cat.
> an fear [@n f'&r] - the man.
> an fhir [@n ir'] - of the man.
>    Now "The cat of the man" is not "An cat an fhir" but simply "Cat
> an fhir". Why is this? Because "of the man" makes "cat" definite
> just as well as "an" does, and therefore removes the need for it.
>    Tom Pullman
-

Just like Hebrew...

(he-)hhatul = (the) cat
(ha-)gever = (the) man

"the cat of the man" = hhatul ha-gever ~or~ he-hhatul shel ha-gever
(shel = of)
It can also be _hhatulo shel ha-gever_, literally, "his cat, of the man"


-Stephen (Steg)
 "Lympyyzh dy sangry?  Lympyyzh dy dt!"
     ~ unofficial national motto of Mueva Sefarad