Re: QUESTION: gerund clauses

On Thu, 11 Feb 1999, Jim Grossmann wrote:

> Hi, Everybody,
>
>     Do all languages have equivalents to verbal gerund clauses?
Easy answer: probably not!

>
>     e.g.
>
>     CASTING STONES is inadvisable.
>
>     The police disapprove of BREAKING INTO HOUSES.
>
>
>     It seems to me that these could be easily paraphrased:
>
>     One casts stones inadvisably.
>
>     When one breaks into houses, the police disapprove.
>
These are interesting examples, because to my way of thinking, they say
slightly different things.  For example: "The police...into houses" says
that the police disapprove of a particular action, i.e. the breaking in of
houses.  "When one...disapprove" says that the police inly disapprove of
some unidentified something after you've broken in _and_ are already in
the house.  I.e., they don't mind you "breaking in" to the house; but they
only start minding after you've gotten yourself in the house.  (My opinion
only!)

>
>     I'm working on a language that doesn't have gerunds so far.   I'm
> reluctant to add them, because I'm afraid it might make my language too
> typical.
>
Well, there's no reason to throw them in if your lang. is getting by
without; and can express the ideas of the English gerund in its own
peculiar fashion.

Padraic.

>     On the other hand, I don't want to fall into the trap of trying to make
> my language exotic by forbidding this, that, and the other thing, until all
> I'm left with too inflexible and limited a grammar.
>
> signed,
>
> wringing my hands in Washington State
>
> (Jim)
>
>
>
> Jim
>