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Re: deeply embedded VSO nightmare

From:Muke Tever <alrivera@...>
Date:Tuesday, October 23, 2001, 1:48
From: "Matthew Pearson" <Matthew.Pearson@...>
> However, there are no idioms in English--at least, none that I > can think of--which consist of a verb and its subject, the object > having a literal interpretation and varying from context to context. > For example, we could imagine a hypothetical idiom of the form "The > toaster burned X" meaning "X went bankrupt": > > The toaster burned Pat (= Pat went bankrupt) > The toaster burned my brother (= My brother went bankrupt) > > But no such idioms exist in English. In fact, it's been claimed that > no language anywhere has such idioms.
"All your base are belong to X"? (= X is in a position of superiority over you) *Muke!

Replies

laokou <laokou@...>
John Cowan <cowan@...>idioms with variable objects (was: deeply embedded VSO nightmare)