Re: Ditransitivity

> At 09:17 PM 12/12/03 -0500, you wrote:
> >For my all-verb language, I'm trying to figure out what to do with
> >ditransitives like "give".  Basically, I see two options: either do
> >away with ditransitives, or add verbal indirect-object marking and a
> >dative case.
> >
> >Does anyone know if there is a way to get rid of ditransitives?  Id you
> >don't want to have indirect objects, how can you deal with concepts
> >like "give"?
>
Hehe! You're catching the All-BiArgument virus (ABA?) :-)
There are natlangs that have only two verbal arguments and they work with
serial verbs.
For instance:
I walk fast, goto market, buy food, man gives rice I take/address me/I
receive, oh! rice expensive money plenty today!
Fish big exceed, I take fish big, locate board, take knife, cut fish,
becomes chunks small very.
No need for abstract prepositions like "with", "to", "on", etc. but some
serial verbs become kind of adpositions (goto, address, receive, comefrom).
If you want an All-ThreeArgument (ATA?) system, check Rick Morneau's.

AFMOC I am currently doing like you say with an indirect stuff (but I change
it every second Weekly Vocab :-))

The woman receives flowers.
Kolota a kanonosa (yanga) pamingi.
Woman does receive (dirobj) flower.

The man gives flowers to the woman.
Misato a kanokanosa (yanga) pamingi o yangi kolota.
Man does give (="make-receive") (dirobj) flower @ oblobj woman.

The man gives the woman flowers.
Misato a kanokanosa yangi kolota o yanga pamingi.
Man does make-receive oblobj woman @ dirobj flower.

The flowers are given to the woman.
Pamingi a kakanokanosa(wanga) yangi kolota.
Flower is made-received(-dirobj) oblobj woman.

The woman is given flowers by the man.
Kolota a kakanokanosawangi (yanga) pamingi o yo Misato.
Woman is made-receive-oblobj (dirobj) flower @ of man.

For the verbs with reverse direction there's another tag -wango/yango :

The carpet covers the flowers.
Pimangi a pilolosi (yanga) pamingi.
Carpe does cover (dirobj) flower.

I cover the flowers with a carpet.
Pikani a pilopilosi (yanga) pamingi o yango pimangi.
I do make-cover (dirobj) flower @ oblobj carpet.

I cover with a carpet the flowers.
Pikani a pilopilosi yango pimangi o yanga pamingi.
I do make-cover oblobj carpet @ dirobj flower.

etc.