Re: USAGE: Circumfixes

Quoting Joe <joe@...>:

> Tamas Racsko wrote:
>
> >On 9 May 2004 Richard Wordingham <richard.wordingham@N...> wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> >>--- In conlang@yahoogroups.com, Tamas Racsko <tracsko@F...>
> >>
> >>
> >>>  I agree with your analysis that German (and Dutch, Yiddish, etc)
> >>>weak past participles is formed by circumfix.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>Strong past participles as well, though the latter also use ablaut.
> >>
> >>
> >
> >  I thought the problem over again, maybe I was wrong when I
> >agreed.
> >
> >  I've forget that prefixed verbs have no ge- in past participle,
> >e.g. schreib.en 'to write' > ge.schrieb.en 'written' vs.
> >ab.schreib.en 'write down, copy' > ab.schrieb.en.
> >
> >
> >
> That's not a weak verb, though.  So, in your original statement, you
> were correct.  And I believe you are incorrect in your example.  A
> google for "Ich habe es abschrieben" turns up nothing, but "Ich habe es
> abgeschrieben" turns up 25.  Not conclusive, but I reckon it's true.
> The only affixes that supress the 'ge-' are 'be-' and 'ver-'(Ich habe
> ihn besucht, Ich habe es verkauft)
You basically get the ge- when the prefix is separable.

Nice "mininal pair":

Er hat übersetzt   (from _übersetzen_ with stress on the 3rd syllable)
Er hat übergesetzt (from _übersetzen_ with stress on the 1st syllable)

The ge- is also left out with -ieren verbs; ich habe es reserviert.

                                                             Andreas

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