Re: Circumfixes?

Ray wrote:

>Both circumfixes & circumpositions are found in natlangs. According to
>Trask, Tigrinya has a circumfix _bi-.....-gize_ = "at the time when" and
>Mandarin Chinese has a circumposition _dao2......li3_ = "into" (acc. to
>Trask _dao2_ = "to" and _li3_ = "in" - he gives an example: _dao2 guon2
>li3_ = (literally) to can in = into the can).  I'm feeling tired this even,
>but I seem to recall that such circumpositions are not uncommon in Mandarin.
If I understand your use of the word "circumposition", then I have a
slightly different take on it in Mandarin. "Dao4" is a coverb (though
it can also stand on its own, meaning "arrive, get to"), while "li3",
I think strictly speaking, is a noun. So literally, it's: to/toward
(something's) inside.

Ma3yi3 pa2dao4 guan1tou2 li3mian4 qu4.
ant  crawl-to can inside go
The ant crawled into the can.

This pattern is indeed not uncommon in Mandarin, but seems a little
different to me than the "bi-...-gize" structure of Tigrinya (though
I know nothing of this language).

Kou

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