Re: Verb-initial languages

K'tabbe Mike Ellis:

> Herman Miller wrote:
>
> >I'd like to look at some verb-initial languages to give me some ideas to
> >help out with some aspects of Lindiga grammar. The only ones that I'm
> >vaguely familiar with are Welsh and Irish. I'd especially like to look at
> >some that don't have articles, especially ergative ones. What would be
some
> >good languages to look at?
>
> Tzotzil.
>
> Other things I suggested in the vanished post:
> - initial copula with particle between noun and predicate
> - null copula
> - denominaliser makes noun into initial "be" verb: bird-BE-3SG finch-ABS.
Mike's variants are quite nice. I can only add that there is a more known
verb-initial natlang: Biblical Hebrew. She deals with "to be" like this:
- in present tense: null copula,
- in other forms she's not afraid to put the verb *between* the subject and
the predicative, though the other verbs tend to be initial.
And, in addition, A NICE FEATURE! - she can use 3rd person pronouns as
copula!

Dawid hu melekh tov.
David he king good.
David is a good king.

D@vora hi n@vi'a.
Deborah she prophetess.
Deborah is a prophetess.

Yitzik
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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