Re: Teach Yourself Kamakawi

David Peterson <DigitalScream@...> wrote:
In a message dated 03/1/02 5:36:24 PM, all4thebetter@YAHOO.COM writes:
<< Your lessons were entertaining to read. :)  I enjoyed it. >>
indeed, very enjoyable. keep on!
one thing though: in polynesian VSO langs the equative predicate comes first so
that "the man is a fish" would be said "nawa ie hopoko", not "e hopoko i nawa".
"hopoko" is the subject and "nawa" the equative predicate "to [be a] fish". "e
hopoko ie nawa" would mean "the fish is the man." you need a topical tag to
reverse the word order: "e hopoko TOP ie nawa" "as for the man, he is a fish."
or is "i" a topical rather than a predicative tag? or oes Kamakawi work the
other way round?

Mathias
www.geocities.com/kalatunu/index.htm