Re: New to the list

On Tue, 10 Oct 2000, DOUGLAS KOLLER wrote:

> While it pales in comparison to Japanese, as a neighbor of Japan, Géarthtörs
> has a fairly formal system in place. As in Japanese, the longer the
> utterance, the more polite it is. Hence:
>
> Most formal:
> Se dalths techetneketh la öçkek nü. A beautiful day be unto you.
>
> Less formal:
> Se dalths techetneketh. A beautiful day.
>
> Least formal:
> (Se) dalths. (A) day. (used *only* among intimates)
Nice.  :-)

Have to agree about Japanese.  Korean also has a noticeable honorific
system, but I look at Japanese and wince, mainly because if I ever
learned Japanese I *know* I'd get it wrong and offend someone.

Mainly as a reactionary thing, Chevraqis doesn't have this sort of
honorific-based grammar (where it shows up in verb forms and pronouns),
though when I get around to it, it *will* have honorific forms of address.

So far the only thing there is, is a prefix that indicates that the noun
in question is being referred to as part of a group (e.g. a soldier's
battalion).  I can't find my notes for the actual prefix, but it's common
in Qenar for a soldier speaking to a superior officer to use this prefix
in referring to him-/herself.  It translates roughly as "I/she/etc. as
part of a group," emphasizing that the person wasn't acting wholly as an
individual.

YHL