Re: Verb Structure

Roger Mills wrote:

>Joseph B. wrote:
>
>
>>>"Yesterday, I was able to post a message on the
>>>conlang list, but I didn't."
>>>
>>>
>>I supposed I'd start by playing with:
>>
>>during-yesterday existed my-ability for-the-posting of-a-message
>>on-the-conlang-list contrary existed my-doing
>><temporal> <verb><past> <poss.pronoun><noun> <obl><noun> <genitive><noun>
>><locative> <negation> <verb><past> <poss.pronoun><noun>
>>
>>
>>
>Hmm, sounds like an experiment of mine years ago. The language had only the
>verb "there is/was"--
>
>There.is loving of.you by.me
>There.was falling.down by.John  etc. etc.  But we still needed all those
>verbal nouns, and odd noun cases, so why bother. :-(((
>
>
>
>
I'd interpret that simply as a language where verbs don't inflect, and
Tense/Aspect/Mood are carried on a seperate particle.  So, the verb
there is 'loving', and 'there.is' is a particle.  The examples you gave
suggest it's actually an accusative language, but if the second sentence
was:

There.was falling.down of.John, we could consider it an ergative language.