Re: Neither here nor there.

On Fri, Jun 01, 2001 at 09:59:21PM -0400, Robert Hailman wrote:
[snip]
> I had the idea a while back for a general motion verb, that, as the name
> suggests, would encompass a very wide range of motions - "walk", "run",
> "stop", "wait", "come", "go", etc. - depending on the context it's used.
[snip]

Although the verb _le's_ in my conlang doesn't have quite that wide a
range of functions, it does cover a few more cases I didn't mention. The
verbal aspect/focus in my conlang does lend slightly more flexibility to
verbs.

Example:
        chi'd3   lyy's      jhi'li.
        he       go         room
        masc,cvy incid,perf loc
        "He is moving about in the room."

The verb here is the incidental perfective -- the same form used in the
example I gave in the previous post. Here, however, "room" is in the
locative case, not in the originative or receptive case; hence, it
indicates that the motion is happening in (or perhaps around) the room,
not towards or away from it.

If we were to change the verb to _lay's_, which is the consequential
perfective, then the meaning would shift to "he is pacing his room (due to
some external cause, perhaps unrest, urgency, or anguish)".

And if we were to change the verb to _luy's_, the deliberative perfective,
then a possible translation is "he is moving about the room [looking for
something]". The deliberative focus implies that the motion is purposeful
and deliberate, and not random.


T

--
You are only young once, but you can stay immature indefinitely. --
azephrahel