Re: Recent upheavals in Sturnan
From: | Andreas Johansson <andjo@...> |
Date: | Monday, March 31, 2003, 6:41 |
Quoting Christopher Wright <faceloran@...>:
> Mostly,
> it's things being replaced and becoming stodgy and formal, though
> sometimes they gain a new use. "Sona", a moderate imperative, was
> replaced
> with "ta", the strong imperative, which was replaced by the plain
> future
> tense, which is an even stronger imperative; now "sona"
> means "please". "Elnas", which was the weak imperative, is now used
> mostly
> by beggars and overly obesquious people, having been replaced by the
> infinitive.
Neato. Tairezazh and Steienzh also use the future tense as a kind of stengthened
imperative.
The 'idea', so to speak, is that the imperative implies asking someone to do
something, whereas the future implies that the addressed part will do as told
regardless of his/her own views on the matter; it's inevitable.
Andreas
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