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Re: compounds



--- In ceqli@yahoogroups.com, Rex May - Baloo <rmay@m...> wrote:
> on 1/24/04 1:17 PM, HandyDad at lsulky@r... wrote:
> 
> > 1) Is there a general rule or sense about which order the 
morphemes
> > go in a compound:
> > 
> > Pamxi = parent-female = mother
> > Xipam = female-parent = mother?

--SNIP--
> We'll have the option of using xi and jo as prefixes, but for
> most familiar kinship terms, we have the pseudo compounds pami, 
pamo, zini,
> zino, etc.  They are -not- compounds.  They are simply morphemes 
selected
> for their mnemonic power:)   And they are elegant-sounding.  I was 
torn
> between that, and the neatness of Esperanto-style endings for the 
sex.  And
> I sure didn't want to go the dippy Loglan route.  So, I said, we'll 
do both!
> We need separate morphemes for parent-mother-father, but not for 
elephant,
> female elephant-male elephant.

Very agreed! You've established that Ceqli provides a few different 
ways to do or say some of the more common things, and that is a 
strength. 

> > 2) Some very common words may arise as alternatives to more
> > rigourously constructed compounds. Apparently all the world over
> > babies come up with "ma" to mean 'mommy'.
--SNIP--
> 
> Hm.  I actually thought of 'pami' as fairly pronouncable as such 
things go,
> but who knows what would delvelop?
> 
"Pami" is fine! If "hama" arises spontaneously as yet another word 
for 'mom', then evidently there's a need, and so be it. But no reason 
to precipitate it. 

---larry