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

* Jörg Rhiemeier said on 2005-10-18 16:18:26 +0200
> * taliesin the storyteller wrote:
> > * 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.
> >
> > ==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!
/snip/
> > =====
> >
> > =) 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.
>
> I didn't mean to play the knows-better-guy and point out an "error"
> in your language, I'm sorry!  Of course, it is *your* language,
> feel free to do what seems right to me.  I just wanted to say that
> classifying groups of humans as inanimate struck me as odd.
You misunderstand - *I*'m not offended but these guys are *nuts*,
they consider thermonuclear war a fun game for the entire family!

Have you read "Asterix in Corsica"? Imagine planet upon planet of
Corsican hillbillies all wanting yet another feud...


t.

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