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Re: [Ladekwa] Comments and questions



 
----- Original Message -----
To: Ladekwa@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, October 07, 2005 2:25 AM
Subject: Re: [Ladekwa] Comments and questions

"Stephan Schneider" <sts@hidden.email> wrote:
>
> It would be much better, if, instead of "twa [P/F-s case tag]", I could rea=
> d "twa[nzume]".
>
Sorry, but I disagree.
-- OK, Rick.

> There is no suffix meaning "disjunct", is there?
>
There is no suffix for deictic disjuncts.  As for normal verbal
disjuncts, they can be created by using the appropriate voice suffix.
Example:

  Sya juziko ligogyose kwempu gozwase
   = The students are sad that the teacher died.

  Sya juzikombe kwempu gozwase
   = It's sad that the teacher died.
 
-- I still need to think about disjuncts...

> Earlier in lesson 4 you said:=20
> Note that we can also use "fawma" to achieve a similar result. However, for="">>  the sake of consistency, we will use the case-tag-to-verb construction rat=
> her than "fawma" in all future exercises.=20
>
> So the example should be:=20
> Sya datwama gizwapya dweku to pya.=20
>
I've changed it to read:

    3. You can convert a case tag to a verb by simply changing its part of
    speech to verb using the suffix "-ma":

        Zawtwama dweti giku to fa.
        Three bicycles were in the house.

    Note that we can also use "fawma" to achieve a similar result:

        Fawma dweti giku to zawtwa fa.
        There were three bicycles in the house.

    I'm not really sure if there is a difference in meaning.  Perhaps, it's
    just a difference in emphasis.
 
-- Maybe it's just a philosophic problem. Well...

Thanks for pointing this out!

>
> Next: Is there a particular reason why we have so many different word order=
> s for different POSes?=20
> X cime Y: X preceding Y=20
> cima X Y: X precedes Y=20
> ci[disjunct] X: (precedingly) X=20
>
There is only one word order in Ladekwa.  Ladekwa is perfectly right-
branching.  This means that headwords of a phrase or clause always
precede their arguments or modifiers.  This makes it easier to parse.
You prefer subject-verb-object (SVO) word order because it's closer to
your native language.
 
-- Yes, I'm used to the SVO-paradigma. I would say "SPO"-paradigma, though. "P" stands here for "predicate". But I disagree, that in Ladekwa there is only one paradigma. Verbs have an PSO paradigma. Case tags have an SPO paradigma. So, for having only one paradigma, say, the PSO one, I would suppose to say "Zawtwa fawma dweti giku to fa" = P(Zawtwa) S(P(fawma) S(dweti giku to)) O(fa). If the paradigma were SPO strictly, I'd expect "Dweti giku to fawma zawtwa fa".

> Lesson 4:=20
> Jako pa dicanya.=20
> I want to go.=20
>
> I think I have asked this before (talking about Nasendi or Katanda), but, w=
> hat is the difference between=20
> "Jako pa dicanya" and "Jako pa dica pa"?=20
>
Either one is correct.  Do you know of any natural languages that use
the second form?
 
-- Aha... And, no, I don't.

> Sentences with infinitives have an implicit recursive nature: The subject o=
> f the want-verb is subject of the go-verb. Is this correct? Hm, but then th=
> is example:
>
No.  The infinitive suffix simply indicates that the implied subject
appears in an outer clause.
 
-- What is the difference between infinitive and middle voice then?

> Lesson 4:=20
> Bwiki pa byubwipya gyotwa byefa.=20
> I heard the radio in front of the building.=20
>
> I am not sure if this sentence can be interpreted in three different ways, =
> but how do we express these three ways in Ladekwa explicitely without being=
>  too verbose?
>
The English translation is ambiguous.  It can have two meanings:

  1. I was in front of the building when I heard the radio.
  2. I heard the radio that is/was in front of the building.

There is no ambiguity in the Ladekwa sentence.  It has meaning #1.
 
> * I heard the radio(, which is) in front of the building.=20
> * I heard (from someone), that the radio is in front of the building.=20
> * I heard the radio, so that I knew that it is in front of the building.=20
>
Your second and third interpretations are not valid.  Your first
interpretation (which is the same as my #2) can be obtained by using
"gyotwamu" instead of "gyotwa".
-- OK, but then my next question is, if you like, how can we express my #2 and #3 in Ladewka?
 
> Lesson 4:=20
> I wonder how we can say, instead of:=20
>
> Did you tell some students that I changed my car into a truck?=20
> Tayne te dwepa ligogyose to butimpa pa ti foy?=20
>
> ... "Did you tell some students that I changed my cars into those trucks?"=
> =20
>
Use "cawmba":

  Cawmba pa liti foy libuti jasi
  = I changed my cars into those trucks.
 
-- Cool. It would be a helpful comment, that the above sentence could be also expressed in this way "Tayne te dwepa ligogyose to cawmba pa ti foy buti to?"

-- Regards,
-- Stephan Schneider