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

Hallo!

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.  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.
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.

Greetings,

Jörg.

NP: Pendragon - Believe

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