Re: Re : Re: going without "without"

Dans un courrier dat=E9 du 17/08/99 22:17:39  , Irina a =E9crit :

>  > *ie wo aruku
>  > house ACC walk
>  > "walking in the house"
> =20
>  Can't this mean "walking into the house", like in Latin?
> =20
no, this would be :

aruite ie ni hairu.
walking house LOC enter.

japanese is like many asian languages : you have to
use the accurate verb to refer to an action rather than a=20
catch-all preposition. that's why the vocabulary
is easy to remember and use.

i use the same tactics in my conlangs. better a werb
for "to put-on-clothes" than "to put on all over up".
i like verbs like "to enter through a door", "to hook from a
nail", "to sheath with some rigid fabric", "to hold in one's
arms", "to tie up and close with thread", etc.
such concrete, common actions and states can easily
be used as abstract concepts while reversely coining concrete
verbs from vague, abstract concepts like "to put", "to stick",
"to go", etc. is a real pain to me.


>     Irina
> =20
mathias