Re: Missing Words

 --- Matthew Bladen <matthew.bladen@...>
wrote: > This isn't the boldest step in the world, I
know,
> but I thought I'd
> bring it up to ask a more general question: what
> words have other
> conlangers felt able to do away with, and why? By
> 'do away with' I
> mean 'not represent, not have exist' as opposed to
> expressing notions
> via cases and whatnot. I suppose definite and
> indefinite articles are
> the most obvious.
> --
> Matthew
When I was taught at school, that Latin has no words
for "Yes" and "No", I was astonished and sort of
fascintated as well by this fact.

Later I found out, that Russian lacks both the verbs
"To be" and "To have" (not to mention the articles, of
course). So, if you want to say:
"I have a house", you would say:
"U menya dom", literally:
"With me house".
This construction looks a bit like the Latin way:
"Mihi domus est."

Does this get you any further?

Jan

=====
"You know, I used to think it was awful that life was so unfair. Then I thought,
wouldn't it be much worse if life were fair, and all the terrible things that
happen to us come because we actually deserve them? So, now I take great
comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe." --- J.
Michael Straczynski

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