Re: describing names

Hej igen, Majken!

> In preparation for a page about my languages I made a
> subdirectory called "language". The system responded:
> "Successfully created language". I thought that was my
> job!
LOL! I wish it were than simple! :-)

> 1. Her name is Mary
> 2. Her name is beautiful
> The first sentence tells me her name, while the second
> only describes it. But the only difference is the last
> word. There is no way to be sure that she isn't called
> Beautiful, except that is an unusual name. How do
> other languages solve this problem?
In my experience, those which do distinguish usually do so by using
completely different expressions for the idea "to be called" or "to have a
name". Like Danish, for example!

1. Hun hedder (or is it heder?) Mary
2. Hendes navn er smuk.

Or could you also say "Hendes navn er Mary"? I don't remember ever hearing
such a thing, but I was in Denmark so many years ago that I can't remember.

Another example, French:
1. Elle s'appelle Marie (literally, "She calls herself Mary")
2. Son nom est beau

Well, "son nom est beau" is a literal translation of "her name is
beautiful", but I don't know if French speakers would say that. "Elle a un
beau nom" ("she has a beautiful name") sounds better to my rusty, non-native
ears. I'll let Chistophe correct my crappy French! ;-)

Scottish Gaelic:

1. 'S e Màiri an t-ainm a tha oirre (literally, "It is Mary the name which
is on her" -- in Gaelic names are "on" a person)
2. Tha an t-ainm oirre (or: aice) brèagha (literally, "the name on her [or:
"at her", the usual way to express possession] is beautiful")

Notice the difference in the verb "to be" there: Gaelic has two -- "is" is
used to equate two things (A = B) while "tha" is used to describe, locate,
etc.

However, my own language Choba does the same as English, and the only way to
distinguish (in speech; in writing the capitalisation of the name shows the
dfference) is by context:

1. Leshä enara Mary shiga ("her name Mary is")
2. Leshä enara kishala shiga ("her name beautiful is")

> hawaa eya aya (have a nice day)
Du også!

Thomas

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