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on 5/4/04 8:39 AM, Rex May - Baloo at rmay@hidden.email wrote: > Now, the pattern is: > > To xyen ten kwa? What does the dog have? > Go bu jan. I don't know. > > So can we say: > > Go bu jan to xyen ten kwa. > > Somehow that doesn't sound right. > > Go bu jan ke to xyen ten kwa. > > Making the clause into a ke-phrase that can be a direct object. > > Or is there a better way to construct this? To elaborate, if we decide that it's grammatical to say: Go bu jan kwa dan koq. I not know what is-in box. That's okay, but what about interrogative pronouns in other positions: Go bu jan zi ten kwa. I not know you have what. Seems pretty confusing, but I hate to change the word order of the second clause -- that would seem pretty poceqli. We of course could get the kwa around front -- ceqli does permit OSV -- but, like I say, it seems poceqli to have to do it to make that sentence. How about saying: Go bu jan ce, zi ten kwa. I not know that-which-is-about-to-be-said you have what. I wonder how you say that in Mandarin. Or, for that matter, how it's said in any language -not- in the English fashion. Or, could we consider the whole thing a shortening of: Go bu jan fanbolka hu ke zi ten kwa. I not know answer of that you have what. Enabling both Go bu jan zi ten kwa. and Go bu jan ke zi ten kwa. I hope you like this last. -- 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