Re: Verbal system in Itakian

CONLANG@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU writes:
>Destination and source are the only tricky features of this system: they
>don't have a spatial meaning, and don't overlap with the dative and
>genitive (which by the way is used as well for possession and for origin
>of
>a gift - like dative is the destination of a gift -). Destination and
>source are only a way to name the experiencer and experiencee, that's to
>say the object and subject of the sentence "I see a dog". I used them
>because in sentences like "I look at the dog", the subject is an agent,
>but
>the object cannot be considered patient in Itakian (it is not modified by
>the action, which is well marked in English by the preposition): it's a
>source.
Interesting Christophe! Your system seems very complex (to this casual
observer).

For me, the name destination implies that the action happens on or at
something. It seems similar  (by name alone it seems) to the directional
trigger I have in Saalangal, which means the action happens on or at
something (differentiated from the locative trigger, where the action
happens in a place):

Kakálawum taw yu sabés. - He wrote on/at the book. (yu is the trigger
marker)

It doesn't really have to do strictly with a spatial meaning (like "He
threw the ball at (towards) her."). It just means the agent is directing
an action at/to the patient (I hope I have those terms correct!).
Generally the trigger eliminates the use of to/at/on/in etc.

I'm not sure if I have this down well or not, but the source trigger would
imply to me that the action is coming from something. Do I have it down,
or have I just messed up and totally misunderstood everything you have
written? =)



________________________________________________

It's worth the risk of burning, to have a second chance...