Re: English Changes or what into Conlangs

Padraic Brown wrote:
>
> On Mon, 6 Dec 1999, Sally Caves wrote:
> >
> >I was sure Padraic was joking, because he splits an infinitive in the
> >first five words:  "I'd like to quickly add..."
> >
> >ha ha!
>
> (: Well, I prefer the view that "to" is simply a preposition used with
> the infinitive (which above would be merely "go").
Well, that's exactly what it is!  As I'm sure you and everybody know,
the "to" form in English is from the inflected infinitive in Old English
(totally pedantic cap goes on at this point).  To tweonne, to ganne,
etc.
Preposition used with an inflected infinitive.  The true infinitive can
be found in the modals:  I shall go.  I may, must, might, could, DARE
go.
Wonder why the French developed an infinitive with preposition.  Did
these
things just happen by osmosis in languages in contact with one another?

Anyhoo (pedantic cap comes off), I never could understand why it was
such a sin to "split" the infinitive.  We split the auxiliary
construction:
Have boldly gone.  Boldly to go sounds stupid.  I tell my students that
this is a noble phrase:

        To boldly go where no one has gone before.

They are to correct this one, though:

        To boldly go where no man has gone before.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!  No flames, please... just a joke.

Sal.

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SALLY CAVES
scaves@frontiernet.net
http://www.frontiernet.net/~scaves (bragpage)
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http://www.frontiernet.net/~scaves/contents.html (all else)
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Niffodyr tweluenrem lis teuim an.
"The gods have retractible claws."
                                from _The Gospel of Bastet_
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