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Re: [Latejami] _What is this?_



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