Combining our efforts

[Ftiafpi]

Forgive me if it's been mentioned already but do we have a way to say "end" yet? If not, that would be a good one too.

[kewnya txamew'itan]

Tìkawngä mungeyu, nothing wrong with that.  Just be sure to let us know if you asked any of the questions here so it can be crossed off.

I don't think any of them have been asked yet but I'll be sure to post the reply up when I get it.

Edit: thought of another question: how does pey work? Is it like in Spanish where it takes a direct object, does it use the adposition fpi, a dative or some other construction?

[roger]

But it does leave tsamsiyu (Why not tsamtu)

Tsamsiyu strikes me as being more active: a person who makes war. Next to that, "war-person" seems a tad dull. And maybe could be a tactician behind the scenes rather than an actual warrior doing the fighting.

[Lance R. Casey]

thought of another question: how does pey work? Is it like in Spanish where it takes a direct object, does it use the adposition fpi, a dative or some other construction?

With direct object it's "await, wait for", without it's just "wait" in general. The former can be seen here, and the latter in the Ma Sempul response letter.

[kewnya txamew'itan]

So when the thing you are waiting for is specified, it would be in the accusative? Like the Spanish esperar?

[Lance R. Casey]

So when the thing you are waiting for is specified, it would be in the accusative?

Yes, or topicalized. Frommer has used both.

[kewnya txamew'itan]

The topic would be the exception as it always is. The phrase takes the accusative, that's what I have to remember.

[Lance R. Casey]

Two more:

1) Are there rules governing the two given realizations of the /u/ phoneme?

2) Just what, exactly, is lok? It's given as "close, close to", which would seem to imply either adposition or adjective, but then we have the strange occurrence of livok in:

Nari soli ayoe fteke nìhawng livok
eye make<PFV> PL-1-INTR lest too ?-SJV
We were careful not to get too close

Does this mean that lok is actually a verb meaning "get close, approach, draw near", or is it suggestive of "adjective verbs"? (Suppression of copula in nìhawng lok livu?)

[roger]

We can come up with dozens of questions on how individual words are used. I'm not sure it's the best use of our efforts, or Paul's time, when we have so many questions on the general working of the language. Though words like "spe'etu" are likely to illuminate broader patterns, which case we use with "wait" is not likely to be useful apart from that single word, and so would seem to be a low priority.

[NeotrekkerZ]

How about the superlative form?  I know we have nul- for the comparative, but the only superlative form we have is swey(best).  And in my experience with languages(french, german and icelandic) "best" is usually an irregular superlative.

[roger]

How about the superlative form?  I know we have nul- for the comparative, but the only superlative form we have is swey(best).  And in my experience with languages(french, german and icelandic) "best" is usually an irregular superlative.

We have the "biggest I've ever seen" in the NYTimes interview.

[kewnya txamew'itan]

I've thought of another.

The correct way to say I like and I hate/dislike.

For now I've been using "_____l oer fpomit tìng" and "____l oer fpomit ke tìng" but I doubt these are correct.

[Plumps]

Has anybody thought of the passive?
I'd like to get that mystery solved...

[roger]

A question that came up in a different thread: how to say "mine".

Perhaps you just say "my". But that would imply that ean could mean "the blue one" as well as just "blue".

If it does, then adjectives must be able to take case, and possessive PNs must be able to take a second case ["I saw mine (accusative)" - oeyäti ??]. We've been assuming that's not possible. What we might have is a dummy noun like 'u that takes the case. So this could be quite an important question.

[kewnya txamew'itan]

Has anybody thought of the passive?
I'd like to get that mystery solved...

For now I've been using a combination of word order changes and topical markers. That said, a Frommerian method would be good.

[wm.annis]

Are kä- (as in kämakto) and za- (as in zamunge) fully productive markers of direction?  Oriented to speaker or subject?  Any metaphorical extensions of meaning when used with verbs not related to motion?

[Prrton]

Good idea.

As for questions, there is a burning one: atan!?

     Tì'eyng zola'u   


_______________________

[wm.annis]

If no one has mailed him already, I'll send him the summary of questions Omängum F. made, and ask how he feels about a combined effort for these matters.

[Ftiafpi]

If no one has mailed him already, I'll send him the summary of questions Omängum F. made, and ask how he feels about a combined effort for these matters.

Sounds good to me.

[roger]

If no one has mailed him already, I'll send him the summary of questions Omängum F. made, and ask how he feels about a combined effort for these matters.

We can take out atan and maybe add mine (= oeyä fì'u ?). Also "I am (feel) hot/cold" might be a good one.