Re: CHAT: the gay Canadian (was: "have a nice day")

John Cowan wrote:
> When combined with names, a restrictive relative clause is used:
>
>         la mat. poi mitcinse kadno
>         the-one-called Matt who is-a-homosexual Canadian
Watakassí uses a particle _plal_ for things like "Matt the gay
Canadian", but also for things like "in the year 273", used to connect
year and 273.  The main use is to simplify complicated situations.  For
instance, when giving a date, like today = 19 Wafsafíif watyánivaf plal
273; two hundred seventy three is "sakyáa tá nadú káz saslí" (gross one
dozen ten nine - duodecimal).  If _plal_ were not used, than the
case-suffixes -vaf (locative-genetive) would have to be used on each
word - "sakyáavaf távaf nadúvaf kázvaf saslívaf"; quite a bit longer.
Plal is ultimately derived from Archaic _pli sál_ = "which is", worn
down by frequent use.  (The verb sá no longer exists, except as a prefix
sa-, turning adjectives into verbs)