Re: A little entertainment
| From: | Sally Caves <scaves@...> |
|---|
| Date: | Tuesday, March 21, 2000, 7:26 |
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Padraic Brown wrote:
>
> On Mon, 20 Mar 2000, Irina Rempt wrote:
>
> >On Sun, 19 Mar 2000, Padraic Brown wrote:
> >
> >> On Sun, 19 Mar 2000, Sally Caves wrote:
> >
> >> >Or 5. Change the syntax of the subclause. In Teonaht
> >> >it mirrors that of the main clause:
> >> >
> >>
> >> > Or, even, in some forms of T:
> >> > Il lorfa-vim rinil beto revpomennyve elry ke.
> >> > The she-wolf with-eating-of-the-boy I saw.
> >> > WHEW!
> >>
> >> Eka-he welham-cam paratahatomtel wehhetim.
> >> I-and wolf-the boy-eating-LOC saw
> >
> >
> >Both of you, does that mean "I saw the she-wolf that had eaten the
> >boy" or "I saw the she-wolf eating the boy"?
>
> It means both and neither; since it makes no aspectual assumptions.
Same in Teonaht. If you want aspect, then you have to go back to the
"mirroring syntax" structure:
Il lorfa-vim elry ke ennyve uarrel ly il beto.
The she wolf did-I see eat PST.PERF.did she the boy.
"I saw the she-wolf who had eaten the boy."
Il lorfa-vim elry ke ennyvel-ly lal il beto.
The she-wolf did-I see ate she at that time the boy
"I saw the she-wolf who was eating the boy."
"I saw the with-eating-boy wolf" is much more ambiguous.
Sally
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SALLY CAVES
scaves@frontiernet.net
http://www.frontiernet.net/~scaves (bragpage)
http://www.frontiernet.net/~scaves/teonaht.html (T. homepage)
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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