Re: Forget it

On Mon, 24 May 1999 13:59:59 -0300 FFlores <fflores@...> writes:
>Not precisely -- in Drasel=E9q, you ask questions by
>raising the entonation a bit only, except for yes-no
>questions, where you also prefix ke- to the verb (or
>use _ke_ as an independent sentence-final particle).
>There's no real need for a particle analogous to
>Japanese _ka_. The development of _nu`n_ was just a
>matter of wearing out a phrase, probably _nutan a_
>"oh, forget (it)", that kept appearing at the end
>of non-serious questions. A parallel development of
>"serious question" particle is very unlikely, tho
>could happen, maybe with a contraction of an expression
>that claims for the attention of the hearer. Not in
>Drasel=E9q from where I'm looking at it. :)
>--Pablo Flores

Well, this isn't exactly the same thing, but AAFMC, the word for "speak"
in Rokbeigalmki, which i've always considered a bit 'too long', is
_(wa')guvdhab_ [guvDab].  It's actually a worn down form of the phrase
_(wa')gub thab_, "(to) sound trust", with "sound" in the sense of "to
make a sound".  Originally, the phrase meant "to say something certain",
as opposed to asking a question (_guvai_ [guve@] , the [e@] is part
onomatopeic and part descended from the yes/no question particle _ha'_),
etc.  There's also the word _gubalg_, "slander", from _gub_ (sound/speak)
+ _balg_ (evil).


-Stephen (Steg)

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