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

On Thu, 26 Aug 2004 12:41:28 +0200, Carsten Becker
<naranoieati@...> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       Constructed Languages List <CONLANG@...>
> Poster:       Carsten Becker <naranoieati@...>
> Subject:      Re: trigger langs: More than one verb in a sentence?
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Hello!
>
> 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

I realized that i'm making this particular sentence much more complex
than it needs to be, when I could just use the instrumental trigger on
"teach". But anyway, i suppose for a more emphasized sentence, the
verb for "use" could be added, and i think I may instead of putting
the trigger on both vers, leaving the infinitive plain, as in Spanish
and English and only put the trigger on "teach" (as when I began
Saalangal, I didn't want it to be kind of a tagalog relex, but include
influences from bothe Spanish and Tagalog (not necessarily literal).

I do use modal adjectives to describe things like want, need, must:

I must teach him - Undóy jin katrasarémey kati halám.

Undoy      jin      katrasarémey                   kati      halam
must.adj  linker   willful-actor.teach.infinitive i.TRIG  him.Non-trig

Here the emphasis is on the actor (I). But, since this sentence really
has no tense to it (though it can, but here it doesn't) the infinitive
form comes into play. The modal adjective (is that an actual term, or
is there a better one for what i mean?) indicates what the subjunctive
would be used for in Spanish.

Another thing, in Saalangal all triggers have two forms (not
necessarily derived from a common source... no one knows why), one
indicates what the Saalangal consider "natural" actions (which are
"biological" occurances, like eating (although that could be argued to
fall into the second category, but let's not nit-pick, shall we?),
breathing, walking, growing, etc.) The other is "willful" actions
(those things that usually require some sort of instrument, or desire
(such as teaching, reading, cutting something, or killing something.)

Choice of which form isn't always so clear cut. For instance, eating
could be considered a willful act because a person at least can choose
not to eat, or can desire to eat, although it's normally considered
"natural".  Sex is considered a willful act, because it is thought it
requires consent (and truly it does... even for creatures like spiders
the female has to be willing).

--
Something gets lost when you translate,
It's hard to keep straight, perspective is everything

- Invisible ink - Aimee Mann -