On Thu, 22 Jun 2000, BP Jonsson wrote:
> At 19:56 21.6.2000 -0600, Brad Coon wrote:
> >dirk elzinga wrote:
> > > Interesting. I tend to see adjectives as verbs, since they also
> > > have predicative function. Tepa has been designed accordingly.
> >I have to agree. I first came across the axiom "adjectives are
> >substantives" early in my linguistic apprenticeship. It has always
> >felt intuitively wrong.
> Yes. The lack of formal distinction between the two in Latin and Sanskrit
> rubbed me the wrong way from day one. I didn't know it was because I felt
> that adjectives were predicates until later, tho.
> OTOH nouns can be predicates too, as in Russian _ja soldat_.
In Valdyan, there's no formal difference and hardly any semantic
difference between nouns and adjectives; almost any substantive can
be used as either, and can be used predicatively (_muz moy idanei
ine_ "I am the walrus", literally "cat big of-sea I").
Irina
--
Varsinen an laynynay, saraz no arlet rastynay.
irina@valdyas.org (myself) http://www.valdyas.org/irina/valdyas