Re: Animacy of groups of people (was Re: Very culture-specific noun classes...)

* Jörg Rhiemeier said on 2005-10-17 22:22:23 +0200
> * taliesin the storyteller wrote:
> > * Jörg Rhiemeier said on 2005-10-16 16:47:27 +0200
> > > I find it a bit odd to classify groups of people as inanimate.
> > > In Old Albic (my conlang), they are animate.
> >
> > Imagine a mob of football (soccer) fans after their team have won or
> > lost an important match... Force of nature, I say.
>
> First, forces of nature are *animate* in Old Albic (as they are in
> many natlangs with an animate/inanimate distinction).  Second, not
> all groups of people are mobs.  Surely, states, city councils,
> business enterprises, guilds etc. are capable of deliberate,
> volitional action.
==paste, paste==
Ah, but good-foreign sir-foreign, you-foreign foreign-must
understand-house that a house-house house-is of much greater
status-misc than a mere group-grouping. nature-wars misc-have been
fought-misc over less!

If you-foreign foreign-have-inanimate a misc-problem with misc-this,
foreign-please give-house our representative-house the coordinates-misc
of your world-landscape and we-house house-will show up to discuss-misc
this-misc at our-house earliest convenience-misc.

cordially-house,
suhan naFer,
representing ministry-group of conquest-misc
under our royal House, naKvar
=====

=) Doesn't really carry over to English very well, but at least you were
politely referred to as a foreigner throughout and not, say, a tool...

The pronouns still need a little work anyway.


t.

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