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on 1/21/04 9:00 PM, HandyDad at lsulky@hidden.email wrote: > --- In ceqli@yahoogroups.com, Rex May - Baloo <rmay@m...> wrote: >> on 1/21/04 9:43 AM, HandyDad at lsulky@r... wrote: >> >>> --- In ceqli@yahoogroups.com, Rex May - Baloo <rmay@m...> >>> wrote: >>> >>> >>>> Go kyam ti bil, hu be spel he buy, i, luy behe. >>> >>> >>> You meant "bi spel", not "be spel", yes? ("Be" was the old word to >>> mark a passive construct, but it now is the marker that ends a >>> previously marked construction, correct?) >> >> No. I meant 'be spel' in the passive sense. And I meant the 'be' > to simply >> make an analogous 'opposite effect to turn an opening parenthesis > into a >> close. I did misspell above. It should end with 'behu', closing > off the >> hu-clause. > > So "be" serves as a 'reverser' or closing marker for punctuation, and > serves as a passive marker for verbs? Yes. If you think about it, it's actually a reverser for verbs, also. Go fir zi. Zi befir go. I fear you. You are feared by me. (or, 'you scare me') Because it reverses the position of subject and object. -- Rex F. May (Baloo) Daily cartoon at: http://www.cnsnews.com/cartoon/baloo.asp Buy my book at: http://www.kiva.net/~jonabook/book-GesundheitDummy.htm