Re: Sketch of Germanech 4/4: Syntax

From: "Henrik Theiling"

> I think this SOV vs. VSO vs. V2 order thingy is one of the most
> confusing features German and Dutch have.  As a learner, you have to
> remember for each conjunction, which order it triggers.  Brrrrr...
>
> E.g.: because, since = `denn' or `da' or `weil' in German:
>
>    Ich komme nicht, denn ich will nicht.
>    Ich komme nicht, da ich nicht will.
>
>    `I don't come since I don't want to.'
>
> (`weil''s order is currently unstable in Modern German)
>
> Did anyone who learnt German as L2 find this confusing?
No, never. It's a matter of coordinating conjunctions (the minority) vs.
subordinating conjunctions (the majority). Such distinctions don't influence
English word order, of course, but I, at least, was taught the distinction
back in school, so transferring that knowledge to German was no biggy.

That "weil" is unstable is an interesting new fact (perhaps by analogy with
"denn" in meaning?). I rarely get the opportunity to hang with native
speakers not twice my senior, so it's doubtful my Lnot1 German will ever be
thus "polluted" ;-) ("weil" definitely triggers SOV for me). Too, I tend to
be the worst ultra-conservative prescriptivist when it comes to German.
Don't know why.

Rechtscheibreformen be damned!
Vive le ess-tset!
Fraktur RULES, man!

Kou

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