Re: OT: THEORY Fusion Grammar

Gary Shannon wrote:
> --- Taka Tunu <takatunu@...> wrote:
>
>
>>(I don't know why my posts don't show up recently--I
>>hope this one goes through)
>>
>>In classical Greek, words that are otherwise
>>"tightly related" may be kind of
>>scattered around by English standard. For instance
>>the verb of the sentence
>>could wedge inbetween an article or an adjective and
>>their noun, etc.
True that words could get scattered around like mad in Classical Greek,
But the main verb between article & noun? I am surprised. could you give
the example?

> I would imagine that "fusion" is less likely to work
> in highly inflected languages as well. Perhaps it only
> really applies to uninflected and lightly inflected
> languages. I might take a shot at trying it on some
> Latin sentences and see what happens.
Yes, in Classical Greek & Latin verse, words that relate can be fairly
widely separated. One will also find this in rhetorical styles where it
is clearly done for effect.

In more colloquial styles things that go together in meaning tend to be
fairly close, tho it is always possible to displace, say, an adjective
for effect, emphasis etc.

The degree of displacement and/or fusion would, I am sure, vary in
different genre. What we would really like, of course, would be actual
recordings of everyday speech - and that, alas, is not a possibility  ;)

--
Ray
==================================
ray@carolandray.plus.com
http://www.carolandray.plus.com
==================================
"Ein Kopf, der auf seine eigene Kosten denkt,
wird immer Eingriffe in die Sprache thun."
"A mind that thinks at its own expense
will always interfere with language".
J.G. Hamann, 1760