Re: articles

On Sunday 30 January 2005 14:05, # 1 wrote:
> Doug Dee wrote:
> >According to _Definiteness_ by Christopher Lyons (Cambridge U. Press,
> >1999),
> >only a minority of languages have articles, but it's "not a small
> >minority,"
> >and certainly not limited to IE.  Lakhota (North America) has articles,
> > and other people on this list have mentioned Semitic.  (Others have also
> > pointed out
> >that articles were apparently not present in PIE, but have been
> >innovated in
> >some of its descendants.)
>
> I've been unable to find a Lakhota (lakota?) grammar so I'll consider
> you're right but if you have a good grammar to indicate to me I'd be happy
> to know it
I have an English-Lakhota dictionary, compiled by Bruce Ingham, published by
Curzon. ISBN=0700713786.

It contains an extensive intro on Lakhota grammar. It says:

<quote>
Lakhota has definite and indefinite articles. These are distinguished in some
cases for 'real' and 'hypothetical'. The distinction is not easy to define
exactly, but the 'hypothetical' is often used for future time reference and
for imperatives which are not yet 'real'. The 'real' members are often used
to indicate past time.

Definite & 'Real': k'ung, 'ung
Definite & 'Hypothetical': ki, kinghang, king, cing, cinghang
Indef. Sg. & 'Real': wang
Indef. Sg. & 'Hypothetical': wangji
Indef. Plur. & 'Real': eya, k'eya
Indef. Plur. & 'Hypothetical: etang

Examples:
wic'asa ki 'the man'
wic'asa wang 'a man'
wic'asa eya 'some men'
wowapi wang bluha 'I have a book'
wowapi wangji op'et'ung mning kte lo 'I will go and buy a book'
</end quoting>

--
Sylvia Sotomayor
sylvia1@ix.netcom.com
kelen@ix.netcom.com

Kélen language info can be found at:
http://www.terjemar.net/kelen.php

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