Re: Problem with Tense

On Mon, 10 Dec 2007 08:51:35 +0100, Philip Newton
<philip.newton@...> wrote:

>On Dec 10, 2007 12:17 AM, Jeffrey Jones <jsjonesmiami@...> wrote:
>> However, by using a tense marker other than -en, it suggests that the cat
>> might shape-shift into something else.
>
>The same meaning could be implied by the English "That was a cat [but
>now it's a horse]", so I wouldn't worry too much about it -- it could
>well be a plausible idiom, in which case speakers might not think
>about the possible alternative meaning unless it was suggested by
>context.
>
>Cheers,
>--
>Philip Newton <philip.newton@...>
In English, the distinction can be made by stress, as in "That *was* a cat."
This kind of thing isn't possible in MNCL5. I'm not sure I want to rely wholly on
context for this particular language.

Jeff