Re: Complement clauses

Peter Bleackley wrote:



> Staving Daniel Andreasson:
> >Anyway, I'm still interested in how y'all form complement
> >clauses in your conlangs, so I'll repost this question.
> >All intricacies are more than welcome!
> >
> >Here's how it's being done in Piata.
> >
> >"Lekituu eiloo luachishi ite."
> >
> >le -kitu -u     e-    ilo    -o     luachi     -shi  ite
> >1>3-think-PAST  COMPL-be:dead-PAST  thread/yarn-PEJ  DEM.SG.INANIM.
> >'I thought that this darned thread was dead.'
> >
> >Word order changes from SVO to VSO in the complement clause. The
> >{e-} prefix introduces the clause.
> >
>
> Khangaþyagon uses a topic-comment structure for this type of clause.
Here's
> an example
>
> tamiting yi mallsheurroshtkur, wiþingar yir zaldep moza.
>
> Gloss
> tamit-                                i- nt yi mall-sheurr- osht-ku-   r
> "believe unfoundedly or insincerely".3p.pt 3p holy.seclude.pp.  topic.pl
> wiþ- i- ng-ar yi-r  zaldep   moza
> have.3p.pt.pl 3p.pl treasure great
>
> Translation in native idiom
> He believed [unfoundedly] about the monks, they had great treasure.
>
> Smooth translation
> He believed [unfoundedly] that the monks had great treasure.
>
Kash can do it both ways:
1. "correct" and slightly more formal-- conjugated verb with the complement
conj. (a)re equiv. to Engl. "that"--
Mapila re kambrati yamelo yukar oriyos
ma-pila ... kambra-ti ya-melo ....
I-think that friend you he wants become monk
"I think (that) your friend wants to become a monk"

2. Common colloq. but correct in all but formal writing--
topicalized verb+possessive sfx, complement follows directly without (a)re--
pilami, kambrati yamelo yukar oriyos
pila-mi .........
think(ing)-my,  .......... (same translation, or else "what I think is....")

I think this is restricted to so-called Psychological verbs, think, believe,
doubt, request, ask, say, tell, fear etc.

_re_ is also used in the equiv. of an infinitive complement with a different
subject--
"I want you to become a monk"
mamelo re hayukar oriyos
I-want that you-become ...

(melomi, hayukar oriyos, however,  is further down on the colloq. scale, and
would ordinarily occur only in speech)

Note (same subject):  mamelo (ma)yukar oriyos
    "I want to become a monk"

Almost *-- melomi, (ma)yukar oriyos