relay 1: Czevraqis vocbulary details, 1/3 et seq
From: | Roger Mills <romilly@...> |
Date: | Wednesday, August 22, 2001, 23:25 |
Yoon Ha Lee wrote:
>(Outdated, probably archaic) paradigm:
>
>verb: C_CaCu
>adj: C_CiCu
>noun: CeC_Ca
>
> verb/adj infix noun
>======================================
>generic -e- state
>causative -ae- doer (professional)
>instrumental -a- tool
>habitual -ai- doer (casual)
>intensive -o- emphatic
>attenuative -i- diminutive
>
>(I'll post the new one sometime when I have things ironed out...like
>relative clauses. Grr.)
>
>Words given in (generic) verb form, since I consider that as close as the
>"root" as you can get and the infixed forms are fairly nicely predictable.
> Verbs do have a dynamic/static distinction that appears in conjugation
>into present/past forms. The noun forms can sometimes be idiosyncratic.
A very nice system, exhibiting very interesting explorations of the semantic
range of the various concepts. Some of your derivations are quite
beautiful.
>
>meranu: to search/discover, find
>adj: inquisitive
>state: discovery
>doer (prof): explorer
>doer (cas): child (especially at the ages when they're busy Getting Into
>Things, I suppose)
>tool: curiosity
>emphatic: expedition
>diminutive: insight, what happens when the glasses you are looking for are
>right in front of you
The only problem I have with derivational systems like this (and Indonesian
and Kash are guilty, too) is that sometimes you end up repeating the same
root more times than is considered desirable (in English stylistics at any
rate)... For example, how would you say "the inquisitive child of the
explorer on the expedition....", or are synonyms available?
Obvious solution: repetition is a PLUS in X stylistics.
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