Re: THEORY: unergative

In a message dated 2/25/04 11:33:26 PM Pacific Standard Time,
takatunu@FREE.FR writes:

<< our example is my favourite "test" to understand how the verbal system of a
 language I learn works because "birth" involves two living beings with a
 special relation (example with a genitive relator: my mother/my child), both
 possibly considered as the "initiator" of the birth, one being the "creator"
 and the other a "result" but without using any medium! :-)) >>

My languages handle this in different ways. Rihana-ye has the verb dako (give
birth, literally givea child) used with the woman as subject and the child as
object, and if the child is subject the same verb is used in the passive
(dako-si). In other words, Rihana-ye follows roughly the English pattern. E.g. ka
bada dako: the woman bears ason.
Bada ka-je dako-si: the son is born by the woman.
On the other hand, Jases Lalal has several separate verbs . Babmy means "bear
a child" (of either sex), as does badmy; both are now a little archaic (in
Jalal, the first form of the language before recent changes). Tanmy means "bear
a child"of either sex in
the more recent form of the language (Malal). Banny means "bear a son" in
Malal.
(In theory, batty would mean bear a daughter, but I had not created that word
until now.)
All these words would have the mother as subject and the child as object.
However, banty would mean "be born" and would have the child as subject. It is an
active verb in which the child is seen as doing the action, not a passive
construction.
Thus babam babot badmaj the woman bore a daughter. Babat bantaj: the daughter
was born. To describe the mother's role in the second sentence would require
an adverbial phrase: Babat babam kavav bantaj. The daughter mother-from was
born (this is passive in English, but active in Jases Lalal; it might be better
translated "The daughter came forth from the mother" or the like to express
the active sense.).
Usual caveat on Jases Lalal: the syntax is about to undergo major alteration;
the sentences are provisional.
John Leland

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