Re: Pronouns or Names?

Geoff Horswood <geoffhorswood@...> wrote:
>>> * a language with personal names, but no pronouns.
>>>
>
> I have to agree.  Pronouns are very difficult to do without completely-
> what if you don't know someone's name?  How do you even ask "what's your
> name?" if there's no word for "you"?
You do it with inflections:  "what name have.2sg".  Indeed, a pro-drop
language with personal inflections for subject and objects could go a long
way without full-on pronoun words.

Additionally you could have a few verbs with pronominal force (e.g., parallel
to stative verbs like |rubere| "be-red" you could have a verb "be-yours")

And there's always using simple nouns (thing, person) or classifiers (long
round thing, servant, senhor) instead of pronouns.

	*Muke!
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