Continuation Particle in Kamakawi

(Again, I apologize if this gets screwed up)


> That /ho/ is a continuation particle letting you know the
> main clause is starting up again.
A curious feature! Can you explain it a little more?

(Padraic wrote this)

The way it's used (and this is the way I understand continuation
particles--I'm not sure if a language that has one really uses it this way)
is that it's just a little word to let you know that the digression is over
and the main sentence will continue.  There's something like this (I think)
in English.  See if this is familiar to everyone, or if it's just regional...

"My best friend, Rick, the one who went to the dance with your sister's
friend--what's 'er name, Rhonda?  Yeah, and who once hit three home runs in
one game--one of them a grand slam--in high school, HE went to the store the
other day."

Grammatically, it's not required that you say "he", but it's just something
you (well, I) kind of say.  This was my idea with the continuation particle,
though it'd be obligatorily used everywhere if there's more sentence to come,
not just for subjects.  Let's see if I can think up some examples (I'm away
from my computer.  Oh, but wait a minute!  Most of it's online!  Wow, what I
great idea!  You guys are geniuses! ~:D).  Excellent.  Here are some
examples:

A mama eine ie ke ale i Hawaii hoi ipe nawa.
N.S. hug woman COMP past-s.s. go "to" "Hawaii" CONT-pred. "that" "fish"
The woman who went to Hawaii hugs a fish.

The main clause would be:
A mama eine i ipe nawa.

The embedded clause:
ke ale i Hawaii

The embedded clause is sandwiched by /ie/ and /ho/, and the predicate marker
/i/ attaches to /ho/ making /hoi/.  Now, if it was the fish who went to
Hawaii, you don't need the continuation particle because there is no
continuation.  This also works with indirect objects, but then that deals
with the serial verbs which I'm still dealing with.  Anyway, isn't there some
language that does this?  It seems like there is, even though one doesn't
come to mind...

-David