Re: Chevraqis: a sketch

Yoon Ha Lee wrote:

> No articles, but 4 cases, which may be a mistake:
> nominative (transitive subject, intransitive voluntary subject): -(r)a
>   (-ra if something ends with a vowel, occuring generally in names or
>   irregular nouns)
>
> accusative (transitive object, intransitive involuntary subject): -(r)e
>
> genitive (ownership possessive): -(r)en
>
> locative (places/times or non-ownership possessive): -(r)ad
I have to ask (since I'm an "active" case marking nut): What if the subject
of a _transitive_ verb is involuntary? Would you still mark it with nominative?
Or would you do as with intransitives and mark it with the accusative?
If that is the case, then what would happen to the object of the transitive
verb? Would it get the genitive or locative case? Or would it remain in
the accusative?

> I'm using "reportive" to mean something that the speaker has witnessed,
> or a "fundamental truth" (generally religious, sometimes used in
> discussing math or philosphy).
I think that would be the "gnomic aorist" then, which has been discussed
(very thoroughly!) on the Elfling list? (I don't expect you to know this
Yoon, but perhaps the other guys both on Elfling and Conlang know.)
Though it also sounds like an "evidential". I think you can read about
those in the LCK, which I think you said you had. Perhaps "experienced
aorist" or "perceptive aorist"? :)

> Sorry this looks so screwy.  :-/  It's a slow and rewarding, but
> sometimes painful, learning process....
I think it looks nice.

Daniel