At 20:54 19/10/98 -0000, you wrote:
>>From the last poll we could draw the conclusion that the majority of us
would like :
>
>- prefixed cases.
>
>- suffixed genders or classifiers.
>
>- postpositions and/or supensive predicate.
>
>Further discussions apparently show that a majority would like :
>
>- 'case+argument + predicate' order.
>
>- both noun- and verb-rooted predicates.
>
>1. The following cases have been most suggested :
>
>1.1. Cases used with verb-rooted predicates :
>
>- ergative =3D transitive nominative ERG=3DTNOM : erg-me to-be-red =3D I=
redden
(him); erg-me to-rise =3D I raise; erg-me bite =3D I bite.
>
>- absolutive =3D undergoer =3D intransitive nominative ABS=3DUND=3DINOM :=
abs-me
to-rise =3D I rise; abs-me to-be-red =3D I am/become red.
>
>Nota : this is not a genuine absolutive which should be passive as in
Basque as in :
>abs-me to-be-cut =3D I'm cut =3D> erg-me abs-it to-be-cut =3D I cut it.
>
>- patientive =3D accusative PAT=3DACC : pat-me to-bite =3D I'm bitten.
>
>- causative CAUS : caus-me erg-he red =3D I have him redden (something);
caus-me erg-he fall =3D I have him fell; erg-me food =3D I apply food =3D I=
feed
(someone).
>
>- dative DAT : dat-me to-give =3D I'm given (a gift).
>
>1.2. Cases used with noun-rooted predicates :
>
>- agentive AGE : age-me stream =3D I stream; age-me club =3D I beat; age-me
gift =3D I'm given (as a gift); age-me image =3D I'm seen.
>
>- ergative ERG : erg-me red =3D I apply red on him; erg-me fall =3D I apply
fall on him =3D I make him fall; erg-me hammer =3D I apply hammer =3D I=
hammer
(with a tool).
>
>- patientive PAT : pat-me red =3D I'm applied red colour; pat-me club =3D=
I'm
clubbed; pat-me eye =3D I'm looked at.
>
>- absolutive ABS : abs-me eye =3D abs-image =3D I see; abs-seat =3D I sit;=
abs-me
fruit : I bear fruit; abs-me rise =3D I rise; abs-me gift =3D I'm given (a=
gift).
>
>- attributive ATT : att-me home =3D I live in (a cave); att-me brother =3D=
I've
a brother; att-me ears =3D I've ears; att-me smoke =3D I (release) smoke;=
etc.
>
>- causative CAUS : caus-me erg-he red =3D I have him redden; caus-me erg-he
fall =3D I have him fell something.
>
Everything's fine for me. Choose what you prefer.
>1.3. Case used with arguments :
>
>- genitive GEN : dog gen-me / gen-me dog =3D my dog
>
I thought we could use ATT in place of GEN.
>2. Suggested degrees of integration were :
>
>- thema + rhema (topic) THEM + RHEM : them-(abs)-dog red =3D the dog, she's
red; OR dog red =3D the dog, (she's) red.
>
>- argument + predicate + ARG + PRED : erg-dog pat/acc-me bite =3D dog bites=
me.
>
>- modifier + noun / modifier + predicate =3D MOD + NOUN/PRED : mod-red dog=
=3D
red dog; erg-me mod-hard bite =3D I bite hard.
>
>- phrase + determinant / noun + determinant =3D PHR/NOUN + DET : det-pat-me
bite dog =3D the dog who bites me.
>
>- clause + relative + sub-clause =3D CL + REL + SUBCL : dog erg-it pat-me
bite =3D the dog who bites me / the dog biting me; dog abs-it red =3D red=
dog;
erg-dog pat-me abs-which hard bite =3D dog bites me hard.
>
I prefer the last one.
>3. Suggested pronouns were :
>
>3.1. Personal pronouns (spacial deixis - no genders discussed here) :
>
>- 1, 2, 3, 3bis
Not bad.
>- 1sg, 1pl, 2sg, 2pl, 3sg, 3pl
Too much common.
>- 1incl, 1excl, 2incl, 2excl, 3
I like it. I'll vote for it.
>- polite-less-polite-even-less-polite
I prefer only two degrees of politeness: polite familiar (I don't
like too much politeness, my own experience makes me think of hypocrisy. Do
you want a hypocritical language?).
>etc.
>
>3.2. Relative/resumptive pronouns (syntactic deixis) :
>
>latter/former/next one : dog erg-last_one pat-me bite =3D dog who bites me
>latter/this/next fact : erg-dog abs-this_fact hard pat-me bite =3D dog=
bites
me hard; arg-dog pat-me bite att-latter_fact hard =3D dog bites me hard.
>
What is the difference?
>Please make your choice and comments on items 1.1 through 3.2.
>
>Suggested next step : postpositions/adverbal subclause; word-order in
subclause; genders/classifiers; derived nouns, state/action nouns ('the one
bitten', 'the maker', 'the fact of eating'); aspects, moods ('want to',
'can', 'must', etc.) tenses, negative; for verb-rooted predicates : passive,
(antipassive ?).
Christophe Grandsire
|Sela Jemufan Atlinan C.G.
"R=E9sister ou servir"
homepage: http://www.bde.espci.fr/homepage/Christophe.Grandsire/index.html