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--- In Ladekwa@yahoogroups.com, "skywatcher_ge" <skywatcher_ge@y...> wrote: > > Imperatives in Ladekwa remind of a middle voice: > > Jepumpamoy dayfo. > > ENG: Open the window. > ITN: Si apra la finestra. > > I can't understand why no way to express the agent. > > A lot of languages do express it (either dufa or lidufa), and I think > Ladekwa should comply: > > *Jepumpamoy dufa dayfo. > *Jepumpamoymbe dayfo. > > This would also make parsing easier, as verbs would keep their valency. > > Can someone find a good reason for this Ladekwa feature? Hello Skywatcher, This is my attempt to explain it: Using imperative the listener of the sentence is the agent. A sentence like "si apra la finestra" (bzw., I speak italian fluently) is not a real imperative. Although I don't know how it is called, it is not a sentence that should make the door open. It just expresses the whish of the speaker, whereas in an imperative clause the listener is supposed to comply to the wish. After Nasendi I didn't watch Ram's language yet. So I'm out of practice. But is there really no mode for expressing a wish? Greetings, Stephan