Theiling Online    Sitemap    Conlang Mailing List HQ   

Gweinic and EL Grammatical Numbers

From:Anthony M. Miles <theophilus88@...>
Date:Sunday, June 4, 2000, 14:34
>Gweinic had three numbers, singular, dual, and plural. Gweinic limited >use of the dual and plural in the following manner. The dual was used for >natural pairs of items. The plural was used for more than two items. >In Early Lahabic, the dual gained an 'exclusive' sense. Thus pairs >of items that were inherently possessed by an individual (e.g., eyes) or >were 'limited' were expressed in the dual. Pairs of items that had a more >general significance were expressed the plural. Here is an >example. The EL phrase 'telemalei lagyaarrakhau (animate genitive dual)' >means 'the tree of the lovers'. There were probably hundreds of trees so >called on the Island. The one in the Yaieelniyandlei Khwiwolphaales, >literally the 'Small Valley of the 'Born' Ones', under whose eaves >Laasooltolkeedolphaalkhe and his wife/lover Deloudethaakarkhe performed >certain acts which will not be detailed here for the first time, was called >the 'telemalei lagyaarres (animate genitive plural)' because the two lovers >in question, as the first-'born' of their race, represented all Dhabra >lovers for all time. >________________________________________________________________________ >Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com > > > --------End of Unsent Message
________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com