Optional features (was GROUPLANG: cases)

De: Nik Taylor <fortytwo@...>
Fecha: Viernes 16 de Octubre de 1998 14:53


>Carlos Thompson wrote:
>> I've suggested we have a compulsory gender/class dictintion with other
>> optional "genders" or markers which would be needed for agreement
>> differenciation or extention of the meaning.  I've post sex being one of
>> them, deixis or another referencial mark as another one.  Number would be
an
>> optional mark also.  Politeness would be also optional.
>
>I don't know about all these "optional" features.  I don't know of any
>language where such a thing is optional.  And politeness couldn't be
>optional.  By having no indication of politeness level, that in itself
>would say something, just as in English, not saying "please" says
>something.  And optional number just seems odd.  If we're going to have
>a number system, we oughta make it mandatory.  Please, let's not have an
>obviously artificial language.  We're not re-inventing NGL here.  (I
>intend no disrespect to NGL, my point was that NGL is obviously
>artificial, and unnatural; I'm hoping to have a natural-looking lang)
I know of at least one language with optional features: Colombian Signed
Language.  The CoSL is uninflected in terms of tense, gender, number, et
cetera.  Usualy context will mark them.  Many verbs use clasifiers, which is
a sort of gender mark fo the subject in the verb.  Some nouns use clasifiers
too (the different between a snake and a rat is the handshape).  The sexual
gender is not usually marked (there are different signs for father and
mother, but only one for child, cousin, uncle/aunt, etc.)  I it is need to
mark it is a son or a doughter, just after the sign for child an "o" or an
"a" (from Spahish masculine or femening endings) is singed.

-- Carlos Th