Theiling Online    Sitemap    Conlang Mailing List HQ   

Re: Existential clauses

From:David Peterson <thatbluecat@...>
Date:Saturday, July 10, 2004, 22:45
Carsten wrote:

<<It's not only thought to be used with the locative, but it often appears
there. Actually, I haven't found another way to use the verb that way yet.
I'd be thankful for other examples where "to be" is a full verb and not only
a linker between the described and the description.>>

I'm still not sure what you mean by that.   As far as I'm concerned, in "The
man is on the lawn", "is on the lawn" is a description of the man--or, at the
very least, just as much of a description as "happy" in "The man is happy",
or "teacher" in "The man is a teacher".

Anyway, the first idea that popped into my head when I saw the title of
this e-mail was, well, existential clauses, which haven't been brought up
yet.   An example of existential clause is as follows:

(a) There's a book on the lawn.
(b) There's a man who's a teacher.
(c) There's a man who's happy.

It's pointing out that something exists, such that it is x.   These types of
constructions are usually dealt with differently than those you brought
up.   Is that what you were talking about?

-David
*******************************************************************
"sunly eleSkarez ygralleryf ydZZixelje je ox2mejze."
"No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn."

-Jim Morrison

http://dedalvs.free.fr/