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Re : transitivity

From:From Http://Members.Aol.Com/Lassailly/Tunuframe.Html <lassailly@...>
Date:Wednesday, May 26, 1999, 20:34
Dans un courrier dat=E9 du 26/05/99 12:16:36  , Daniel a =E9crit :

> Hello all. >
Hello, man. =20
> I've been thinking about making a lang which distinguishes > between zero-transitive, intransitive, transitive and=20 > ditransitive (is that the English term?) verbs in that > the conjugation would be different in each form. > (And possibly also distinguish between verbs that > don't have an agent, eg. "I sleep" and verbs that do.) > =20 > 0. (It) rains [no S or O] > 1. I sleep [only S] > 2. I eat (food) [S and O] > 3. I give (it to you) [1 S and 2 Os] > =20
> A second thought: > =20 > Perhaps this is just some kind of object agreement on > the verb: > "-y" =3D hey, there are no objects! > "-e" =3D listen up, there's an object as well. > "-u" =3D look out, two objects coming your way! > "-i" =3D what? Not even a subject? > =20 > Then I might expand this into: > "-er" =3D there's an object and it's 1p. (I.e. probably me) > "-et" =3D one object and it's 2p. > "-ek" =3D one object, 3p. > etc. > =3D> Na mrinek nando.=20 > 1p.sg. eat.1obj.3p food. > =20 > This might be really fun! > =20 > Do you have any comments? >
Only very trivial things :=20 processive =3D the man eats the soup transformative =3D the man makes potatoes into a soup applicative =3D the house shelters the children etc. etc.=20 You could check all possible "transitive" and "ditransitive" maps. They are=20 quite a few, but as Matt said a few days ago : with three dozens of=20 "preverbs" (or cases) you round up the bunch of them.=20 OFF TOPIC ("me too" lines) : I don't use "transitive" nor "ditransitive" verbs or cases anymore. I have=20 three dozen specific preverb-cases (they could be semantically "refined" int= o=20 thousands). As Sally said, they could be English verbs like "to get", "to=20 put", "to do", etc. : I speak =3D I (kana) perform (ota/eta) a speech (tunu). tunu ota kana / kana ete tunu. this is said =3D this is topic of a speech. tunu ome toke / toke eme tunu. =20 you are spoken to =3D you (are expected to) perceive the speech. tunu ooki kamu / kamu eeki tunu. I tell this to you =3D speech is performed by me (and) regards this (and) is=20 (expected to be) perceived by you. tunu ota kana ome toke ooki kamu / kana eta tunu ome toke ooki kamu. "to be expected to" is a handy way of making an intransitive subject into a=20 (di)transitive object.
> Daniel Andreasson > =20
Mathias