[YG Conlang Archives] > [jboske group] > messages [Date Index] [Thread Index] >


[Date Prev] [Date Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next]

Re: [jboske] unresolved debates




la djan cusku di'e

And Rosta scripsit:

> * Usage overwhelmingly supports it; pretty much all prior usage
> of so'V would be invalidated.

The first clause may be true, but the second is surely false.  Nothing
prevents "so'a" from meaning "all but an insignificant number" in particular cases. I only object to drawing rigorous conclusions that this relationship
always holds.

I'm still not clear on what your position is. What do you think
of:

1-  so'e gerku cu nenri le kumfa
2-  so'i gerku cu nenri le kumfa

A- They are both extremely unlikely, on the grounds that the
number of dogs that can fit in a room is very small compared
to the total number of dogs that exist.

B- They are both reasonable things to say when the room
contains a number of dogs that is large compared to the
number of dogs that are usually in a room.

C- (1) is extremely unlikely and (2) is quite reasonable,
because that's how we would use "most" and "many" in English.

Your position is either A or B, but I can't tell which one.

mu'o mi'e xorxes


_________________________________________________________________
Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail