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MorphemeAddict@hidden.email wrote:
>
> In the LE entry for "tomeni" there is this example sentence:
> Dasu basa tomeni = What is this?
>
> Since the question word takes the place of the answer in Latejami, and an
> appropriate answer could be "This is a table" or "This is a book", which are
> translated as "Dasu bujisa basi" or "Dasu fima basi", analogous to
>
> Latejami is a language.
> Dasu tejama Latejami. [L4]
>
> wouldn't the Latejami equivalent for "What is this?" be "Dasu tomena basi?"
>
No. In English, the subject is most topical and precedes the verb:
Dasu tomena basi = This is what?
Dasu basa tomeni = What is this?
Regards,
Rick Morneau
http://www.eskimo.com/~ram