Re: THEORY: When is a verb not a verb?

These are what are called in languages like Inuktitut verbal
specifiers.  By themselves, they are not verbs, because you can't
use them like verbs.  When /-hita/ combines with /minan/, the
result is a verb.  A verbal specifier seems like a nice enough
name.  For a discussion in one of my languages, you can go here:

<http://dedalvs.free.fr/epiq/specifiers.html#interlude>

-David
*******************************************************************
"sunly eleSkarez ygralleryf ydZZixelje je ox2mejze."
"No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn."

-Jim Morrison

http://dedalvs.free.fr/

On Jan 27, 2008, at 2∞14 PM, Paul Bennett wrote:

> On Sun, 27 Jan 2008 16:30:00 -0500, David J. Peterson
> <dedalvs@...> wrote:
>
>> A general reply: Can you show some concrete examples?  That's
>> the first thing I would look for if I were a field linguist.  :)
>
> For the verbs in question, -m (to be able to use X) and -hīta (to
> fetch X (to go and get X from somewhere else))...
>
> uínlītska /wi:nli~tSkA/ - the Uínlītska language
> uínlītskam /wi:nli~tSkAm/ - *"to be able to speak" Uínlītska
> intuínlītskam /indwui:nlitSkam/ - I can speak Uínlītska
> uínlītskamu /wi:nlitSkamo/ - He can speak Uínlītska
> uilī intuínlītskam - I will be able to speak Uínlītska
> hafā intuínlītskam - I have been taught (lit. I have been able)
> to speak Uínlītska
> ú intuínlītskam - I was able to speak Uínlītska
>
> mínan /mi:nan/ - berries
> mínanhīta /mi:nanxi~tA/ - *"to fetch" berries
> inmínanhīta /inmi:nanxi~tA/ - I am fetching berries
> mínanhītu /mi:nanxi~tu/ - he is fetching berries
> uilī inmínanhīta - I will fetch berries
> hafā inmínanhīta - I have fetched berries
> ú inmínanhīta - I was fetching berries
>
>
>
> Paul
>
>
>
> --
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