Re: trigger langs: More than one verb in a sentence?

Hello!

On Wed 25 August 2004 08:38 (GMT+1), B. Garcia wrote:

 > So, i've been restructuring Saalangal, and i'm a bit
 > stuck on how to go about working with the triggers on
 > sentences like:
 >
 > "I used the book to teach him". Obviously one of the
 > verbs takes a trigger (in this case the instrumental (as
 > the act was performed using the book). But i'm not sure
 > whether is should be "used", or  "to teach"? I thought
 > that maybe both would take the trigger, indicating they
 > are verbs, but then I thought "maybe not?".

Tricky, but not impossible. Ayeri would do that with an
instrumental construction, where "using the book" would be
simply "the-book.INST". Of course, the sentence must be
changed a little: "I taught him with (= using) the book".
The interlinear would be e.g.

   The-book.TRG(inani) TRG:INST past.teach.(1sg.AGT) he.PAT.

"E.g." because it depends where you put the trigger of
course. For the translation of the above sentence, let's
assume that "to teach" = "ganao" --- I haven't had a word
for that yet.

   Coya-on eri ma-gan-ay-ang iyà-aris
   Coyaon  eri maganayang    iyâris.

Nevertheless, there are more tricky sentences, e.g. the one
with the man removing the mountain that Trebor came up with
some weeks ago.

Carsten

--
Eri silveváng aibannama padangin.
Nivaie evaenain eri ming silvoieváng caparei.
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Le Petit Prince
  -> http://www.beckerscarsten.de/?conlang=ayeri