Re: Sensible passives (was: confession: roots)

On Thu, 10 May 2001, Nik Taylor wrote:

> Do any languages use an active verb for "to be conceived"?  :-)  Again,
> there Uatakassí would put the fetus in absolutive and the mother in
> ergative, exact same set up as for "be born/give birth", so that verb
> _landakí_ could be translated as "be conceived" or "conceive" ("begin
> life/create life"?)
Valdyan uses the same verb (_nuta_) for "to conceive" (sorry, not "to
be conceived"; it's what both parents do together), "to beget" (what
the father does at the beginning of the pregnancy) and "to bear"
(what the mother does at the end of the pregnancy).

I haven't had the opportunity to say "X was born" for real in Valdyan
yet, but I think it's done with an impersonal (pseudo-passive)
construction, like this:

lea nutenat         Athlea
IMP bear-PRF-3s-PRS Athal-acc

"Athal has been born/conceived/begotten"

Alyse Athlea    nutenat
Alyse Athal-acc bear-PRF-3s-PRS

"Alyse has given birth to Athal"

Radan Athlea    nutenat
Radan Athal-acc bear-PRF-3s-PRS

"Radan has begotten Athal"

Radan so  Alyse Athlea    nutenayt
Radan and Alyse Athal-acc bear-PRF-3s-PRS

"Radan and Alyse have conceived Athal"
"Radan and Alyse are Athal's (natural) parents"

Obviously, the child is the patient whatever happens.

   Irina

--
           Varsinen an laynynay, saraz no arlet rastynay.
irina@valdyas.org (myself)     http://www.valdyas.org/irina/valdyas