Re: word poll #2: articles

Garrett inquires:

>so, how do you translate the following meanings into your conlangs? I can
>see several constructions possible:
>
>THE:
Géarthnuns has both definite (eg. 1st decl. "chö") and indefinite
articles (eg. 1st decl. "sö"), akin to English "the" and "a/an", but
with some variations in usage. Both sets agree with the nouns they
modify in number (sing., dual, pl.), polarity (aff. or neg.), and
declension (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th), but not in case,
so they each have 52 possible forms. Save unmodified proper nouns,
all nouns must be accompanied by some sort of article.

>TA. a certain one being spoken of/already mentioned (introduced by AA).
>-The story ended.
>-So then I smacked the guy.
Same as English.

>TB. hypothetical instance of (introduced by AB).
>-I want a girlfriend. The girl has to be cute.
>-I need some paint. The paint is going to be used here.
Same as English.

>TC. the one and only (geographic/environmental/locational)
>-The sun is very hot today. (both occurances here)
>-The sky is bright today.
>-The world is falling apart.
>-I don't like the weather.
>-He came to us from the north.
>-I walked to the edge and contemplated jumping. (the edge of a cliff)
>-Let's meet at the entrance.
>-Where is the bathroom?
Same as English.

>TD. the one identified by/as (the modifier of the noun)
>-the man who answered (as opposed to the one who ignored his phone)
>-the hit of the week (as opposed to the hit of the year)
>-the right to strike (as opposed to the right to remain silent)
>-You can be the father in our play.
>-The purple people eater is here to get us!
>-What is the point of your story?
>-The coffee in my cup is hot.
>-Which one was the movie that you hate?
>-We take the air we breathe for granted.
Same as English.

>TE. an integral part or clothing of the obvious entity (possessives can also
>be used for these in english)
>-I smacked him in the face.
>-Take me by the hand.
>-You should hold your mug by the handle.
>-The surface is extremely hot, don't touch it.
>-I held him by the collar.
Used more extensively than English; more closely akin to some other
Eurolangs here.

>TF. that which is present/close, as opposed to remote
>-The day has just started (as opposed to the next day)
>-Where has the year gone?
Same as English, though "the thisyear" and "the today" makes for nice style.

>TG. the one designated/named. related to NC.
>-the President (of the u.s.)
>-the Mississippi (river)
>-the United States
Same as English. "Íunaitidstéts" came in directly to Géarthnuns and
so is analysed by speakers as an unmodified proper name, ergo taking
no article. If "the United States" were translated into Géarthnuns
(eg.: "In English, 'Íunaitidstéts' means...."), then the "the" would
reappear.

>TH. the one considered the best, most fashionable (usually emphasized)
>-That is *the* restaurant in town.
Géarthnuns would need an adj. here. Stressing "chö" in this way doesn't occur.

>TI. specified period of time
>-the dark ages
>-the seventies
Same as English.

>TJ. taken as a representative of the entire genus or type
>-I'm learning how to use the typewriter.
>-The cow is a domestic animal.
Same as English.

>TK. for an adjective used as a noun
>-the good, the beautiful, the true
Same as English. But also used with words considered adv. or pronouns
in English ('cause they're common nouns in Géarthnuns: the today, the
everyday, the everywhere, the here. "Chö" is also required even when
there's a demonstrative adj.: the book this, the horses those. Titles
tacked onto people's names are considered modifiers and it feels like
apposition for the Géarthçins (and, as with apposition in Géarthnuns,
the article follows the noun instead of preceding it): Elizabeth
Queen the, Bush President the,
Koller Mr. the (it may also be linked to the fact that family names
are defective in Géarthnuns).

>A/AN,SOME:
>
>AA. a certain one speaker has in mind.
>-I saw a burning house on the way to the store.
>-He has a nice car/some nice cars.
>-I'm going to marry a Swede. (in response to: what is the nationality of
>your fiancee?)
Same as English.

>AB. any one of them in existence
>-I need a girlfriend.
>-I'm going to marry a Swede. (in response to: In twenty years, what type of
>person will you marry?)
>-I need some paint.
Same as English, but there is no explicit word for "some" vs. "a"
here. In the singular, the indefinite article can be interpreted as
"a/an" with countable nouns and "some" with uncountables. So "Give me
a beer." and "Give me some beer." are the same in Géarthnuns. If one
is genuinely concerned about getting a whole watermelon or a whole
cake as opposed to some, one can disambiguate with "one": a
watermelon one, a cake one, a pizza one. But in general, the host's
question, "Öçek la söi pítsalatsöit hökalaf?" ("Would you like a/some
pizza?") is intended to get you a slice or two, not the whole thing,
while if uttered by the Domino's waitron, one could infer a whole pie.

>AC. in copulas, equality
>-I am a doctor.
>-That is a harmless snake.
>-As a young girl she slacked off in school.
Same as English.

In addition, the indefinite article is also used with numbers:

"sí gefröls sírel"  "one book"
"síl gefrölsízh pungelízh"  "two books"
"sík gefrölsíp toulíp" "three books"

(unless trumped by "the" in sentences like "Where are the three books
I borrowed from the library.", taking us back to TD)

also with "any": "I don't have some books any." or "I have some books no."

and with partitives: "sö kawabs söik poundlatsöif toutöif" "some
coffee some pounds-instr. three-instr." for "three pounds of coffee."


>[NONE]:
>
>NA: a discrete amount of (for a non-count noun). (the word "some" can always
>be used before the noun).
>-I need water.
>-We need rocks for this project.
Definite and indefinite both appear here, especially in the singular,
with indefinite prevailing only slightly in the plural. It may depend
on just how discrete the amount is to be. Dunno.

"Sí la chü mníaksüt frozh." and "Sí la sü mníaksüt frozh." for "I'm
drinking water." both sound okay to me without an appreciable shift
in meaning. Maybe it's considered sorta like NB below, which ties
back to TJ, so that both are seen as acceptable.

>NB: generalizations, applying to all the members of a type of
>object/concept.
>-Gold is very valuable.
>-Guns are dangerous.
>-I really don't like stupid dogs.
>-He lacks intelligence.
>-Anger is a destructive emotion.
>-We really hate school.
Considered the same as TJ, so the definite article is used here.

>NC: proper nouns. related to TG.
>-Let's run away to Mexico.
Same as English, until you say something like "sunny Mexico" or
"beautiful Mexico", then the def. art. kicks back in.

>-Where is Main Street?
While a proper noun in English, it's considered modified in
Géarthnuns and takes "the".

>-I don't speak Greek.
Languages take "the" since all languages except Géarthnuns are called
"the adj. language", and "Géarthnuns" itself means something like
"the loyal speech."

Kou

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