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NatLang/ConLang: question forms & semantic transparency

From:Jonathan Chang <zhang2323@...>
Date:Thursday, September 21, 2000, 19:51
    Interesting thing in _some_ pidgins and creoles is semantic transparency,
i.e. question forms:

    from Chinese Pidgin English (CPE)

            forms           analysis

WHO     who-man     who-person
WHAT        wat-ting        Q- thing
WHEN        wat-taim        Q- time
WHERE   wat-said        Q-side = place
WHY     wat fo          Q- for
HOW     how fason       how fashion
            wat fason       Q- fashion

    More typically one finds mixed transparent forms:

            forms

WHO     who-man
WHAT        what thing
WHEN        when time
WHERE   where part/place
WHY     why reason
HOW     how make
            what way


    In Viivo, semantic transparency is my model. In a whimsical fashion, I
use the word _quiz_ as the question form word:

            forms           analysis

WHO     Quiz-pesona     Q-person
WHAT        Quiz-:cosa          Q- thing
WHEN        Quiz-tempo      Q- time
WHERE   Quiz-spazii     Q-space = place
WHY     Quiz-:cognii        Q- reasoning
HOW     Quiz-modda      Q-style/like/mode


    Also interesting is how SeaSpeak (the internationa maritime English)
phrases sentences giving reasons. Normal everyday English (ok, Standard
English...) has connectives like "since", "because", "in", "in order
that/to", "so that", etc.
    But in SeaSpeak, only the word "reason" is used:

    "I intend to enter stern first, reason: my port thruster is damaged.
Over."

    ________________________________________

    I was wondering if semantic transparency is part of anyone's ConLangs?
And to what degree?

    just curious,
    czHANg