Re: USAGE: "Laughingly":What part of speech is it?

Gerald Koenig wrote:

> I'd like to know a little more about the grammar of a gerund that is
> changed into an adverb . I'm going to make a gender changer that changes
> a root or infinitive verb to a corresponding adverb for vector tense.
> I want to say things like,
>
> He goes walkingly to the store.
>
> Obviously this isn't great english, but for some reason,
>
> He said laughingly that he didn't mean it.
>
> seems ok.
That's because in English in sentence (1) we interpret "walking"as modifying the pronoun
"he", much as Latin and other IE languages
would.  There is no particular reason why we shouldn't say *"He
goes walkingly to the store", but it's a matter of preference.

Also note that the use of -ly as a adverbalizing morpheme in the
English language is of a comparatively recent date.  If you go read
some Shakespeare, the normal way for indicating adverbial functions
is simply to use the adjective before the verb rather than with the
-ly morpheme (and since it is an inflection, you will note that adverbs
have in English a great deal of freedom of movement without sounding
totally weird).

So, because it has not become mandatory, in some uses it would sound
weird and affected, even when the word is being used adverbially.

> Any information about these  gerund-adverbs would help me.
> Thanks,
You're welcome. :)

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Tom Wier <artabanos@...>
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Website: <http://www.angelfire.com/tx/eclectorium/>
"Cogito ergo sum, sed credo ergo ero."

"Ille se profecisse sciat cui Cicero valde placebit."
   - poster found on professor's door.
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