Re: Verbal nouns

raccoon@elknet.net writes:
>I like your system, Barry.
Thanks! It was inspired partly by Tagalog which uses prefixes to form
verbal nouns. I also have another verbal noun prefix, which is formed from
the imperative form for the verb, 'ata', and the polite request verbal
noun former, 'ala'. These essentially mean "requested than an action be
done".

Anyway, thanks again :)

> I'm currently struggling with a word-construction
>system for Dhakrathat. What I want to do is have a bunch of mostly
>disyllabic roots, each of which has a certain semantic value which is not
>specific to part of speech (verb, noun, adjective, etc.) Suffixes are
>added
>to make them into nouns, verbs, etc. But I can't decide which divisions to
>make -- originally I was going to use one for verbs, infinitives, and some
>concepts, one for animate agents, and one for inanimate agents (if such a
>thing exists) and/or instruments. I think maybe I'll make a "general noun"
>category and add more specific categories. For instance, from the root for
>"writing," the instrument form would be pen/stylus/etc., the
>infinitive/gerund one would be (the act of) "writing", the agent one would
>be "writer," maybe a passive instrument form would be "book" (written
>thing), etc. Those categories would be pretty predictable for all roots,
>but
>the generic noun category would be specific to each root. So maybe the
>generic noun form of the root for "writing" would be (the act of)
>"writing,"
>equivalent with the infinitive/gerund form, whereas the generic noun form
>of
>the root "being human" would mean "human," thus being equivalent with the
>agent form (=one who is human).
>
>Am I making sense? :)
Well, to me you are at least :). It sounds like an interesting system you
have there. I've also found disyllabic roots to be just right.
Occasionally there are trisyllabic roots, but then with all the proper
affixes, words start getting long.

The way Saalangal handles things is, you have a set of basic roots for
adjectives (Saalangal has no adverbs really, it makes do with adjectives),
nouns, and verbs, and these use prefixes to form verbs, adjectives, and
_some_ nouns (some, because the root can be a noun ,and verbs, and
adjectives are formed from those, as opposed to the verbal nouns which
come from the verbs).

When a verb is formed from an adjectival root, it means "to be.....". Such
as the word for "to be sweet" (as sugar), lanlémsunan. However, Saalangal
rarely treats adjectives as verbs, as it´s easier just to say: It (this)
is sweet - Salémsun isán. (but, it is possible).
>


________________________________________________
Barry Garcia.
- My homepage:
 http://student.monterey.edu/dh/garciabarryjames/world/dahon.html
- The Saalangal Language:
http://student.monterey.edu/dh/garciabarryjames/world/contents.html