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Re: EAK - preliminary thoughts on verbs

From:R A Brown <ray@...>
Date:Monday, May 28, 2007, 7:36
Philip Newton wrote:
> On 5/27/07, R A Brown <ray@...> wrote: > >> One query: according to the above, "have" should be _sxe_ (σχε) /sxE/, >> rather than _éxe_ (έχε) /'ExE/. But, although the stems are >> diachronically variants of *segh-, would the stems _skh-_ and _ekh_ have >> felt _synchronically_ variants of the same stem to the ancient Greeks, >> or would the verb have seemed suppletive to them? I am inclined to have >> _éxe_ in EAK. > > As would I.
Also _éxe_ is somewhat easier to say than _sxe_ :) [snip]
>> Undecided suppletives: >> _érxe_ or _élthe_ "come"? > > Hm. Based on usage in compounds, I can't think of a compound with > -elth-, but one with -erx-: erxomós, arrival, coming. But using the > aorist stem feels more appropriate somehow.
Yes, as you may have noticed in an earlier post, I am inclined towards _élthe_, but I'm not sure why other than "gut feeling".
>> ASPECT
[snip]
> This is also something I'm struggling with a little in GSF. I have, so > far, dropped the imperfective ~ perfective distinction (having > present, past, future, and compound tenses past-in-the-past and > past-in-the-future),
I am definitely not introducing tenses - so some maybe I ought at least to have the possibility of aspectual marking.
> >> VOICE
[snip]
>> .............................EAK will >> have no inflexions to denote voice. Middle voice will be expressed by >> appropriate periphrases (usually a reflexive form). I have not yet >> decided on how the passive will be expressed, except that it will be by >> an analytic construction. > > Is influence from another language a possibility? I'm thinking of > Maltese, which borrowed one way of forming the passive from Italian > (viz., using "to come" + passive participle).
Yes, but in the "Western Hellenic Alternative Timeline" world, there will be no Italian ;) Also the Italian requires a past participle, and if EAK verbs have no inflexions, there will be no past participle. But I'm not going worry to much about this until I come back in mid June, refreshed from holidaying in Peru :)
>> [NON_FINITE VERB] >> In ancient Greek these were infinitives and participles. The infinitives >> have disappeared from the modern language, being replaced by nominal >> clauses. > > or the subjunctive, e.g. "I want to come" -> "I want that I come".
That's what I meant by nominal - "that I come" serves as the direct object of "want" - But possibly of the subject of both verbs is the same, the second could be omitted. -- Ray ================================== ray@carolandray.plus.com http://www.carolandray.plus.com ================================== Nid rhy hen neb i ddysgu. There's none too old to learn. [WELSH PROVERB]