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Re: Recalled to life

From:Nik Taylor <yonjuuni@...>
Date:Tuesday, October 15, 2002, 3:53
"Nathaniel G. Lew" wrote:
> I don't, but then again, neither do several major European languages > ("you", "vous", "Sie", "vy" (Russ.)).
Ah. I was under the impression that it was intended as a logical language, so it seemed odd to lack that distinction. :-) And with French and German, at least, number is still distinguished in the familiar.
> Especially with 2nd-person pronouns, I figure that number will be > clear from context.
Perhaps, but not always. There are contexts where "you" can be ambiguous, which is why I never use (in speech at least) "you" as a plural - "you" is singular, "Y'all" or "you guys" or "you" plus some other plural noun is what I use for plural.
> One big exception is the 1st-person pronouns. "I" and "we" feel to me > like really different concepts, although I understand that several Asian > languages just pluralize "I" for "we" or, if they have no plural, use the > same word.
Actually, I think all languages distinguish "I" and "we". Altho, they may, like Japanese, use regular plural suffixes. Watashi = "I", Watashitachi = "We" (-tachi is a plural suffix, optional for most nouns, but obligatory with pronouns). Then again, of course, there's also the inclusive/exclusive distinction in first person plural. -- "There's no such thing as 'cool'. Everyone's just a big dork or nerd, you just have to find people who are dorky the same way you are." - overheard ICQ: 18656696 AIM Screen-Name: NikTaylor42