Re: How to do "But/However"

Chris Bates wrote:

> I can give at least one alternative way of handling but from some Papuan
> languages, ....Basically, in these languages each
> verb is marked for its relationship to the next verb in the chain:
> whether the verbs share a subject, whether there is temporal overlap or
> succession, and so on. Well, in some verb chaining Papuan languages
> there's an affix on some verbs that does a similar job to "but" in
> English:
>
> ko-nejapowo'nIngk-ahonIngk-i nakwo jomo mujo'njo
> ANTI-always gives us-SEQ-3SG(DS) we ask not speak to him
> "He always gives us but we don't pray to him"
>
> Syoho yakumpohn'nyo ko-imalog-o-so hamnoyoho engo muyofoho
> work strong ANTI-do-they-and money much not give
> "They worked hard but not much money was given to them"
>
> The ko- on the first verb marks that there's some form of frustration or
> expectancy reversal between that verb and the following verb. The
> interesting thing here I guess is that ko- is marked by a prefix on the
> verb before where the "but" would be in English...
It strikes me that ko- in these exs. might equally well be translated as
"although/even though...", in which case it's right where it ought to be :-)

"Although he always gives us, we don't pray to him"
"Although they worked hard, not much money...  etc..."

Only non-IE lang. of my acquaintance, Indonesian, uses its "but" conjunction
"(te)tapi" pretty much a la IE. The odd thing is, "tetapi" __IIRC__ is
borrowed from Skt. (tathapi vel sim.)-- and I think also "or" atau
(sometimes spelled-- archaic?-- atawa).

"But, although, nevertheless, however" etc. all gave me pause in Kash, too,
and(but?) I think I ended up with the conventional IE usages. Now that Gwr
is under development, this may be an opportunity to do something a little
weirder there............:-)

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