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hi!
while reading the 14th lesson:
sts.
13.0:
When a polarity prefix is used with a basic noun, it magnifies
or reduces the SIZE, INTENSITY, and/or QUALITY of the entity, in
proportions that are most natural or typical for the entity.
While the nature of the result may be quite different from the
root concept, the class will remain the same.
As you can see, even the definition is not semantically precise.
Thus, we must use the prefixes for their mnemonic value.
sts: you could introduce a mnemonic tool that you attach the prefix
to. so <prefix><noun> -> <noun> <prefix><prefix tool>. why not?
14.0:Some languages also have words that differ in register that are effectively required in certain contexts. Cambodian is a language that is especially rich in this respect. For example, there are three completely different words that mean 'to sleep'. The first is used when the sleeper is a superior or someone especially deserving of respect; the second is used when the sleeper is the speaker or a person of equal status; and the third is used when the sleeper is of lower status. sts: hey! this exists in german, too! "fressen" means "to eat", when it's an animal that eats. the normal word is "essen", and the very polite word, that is aplicible only to a majesty or something like that is "speisen". cool. :)
14.0:Additional register prefixes can be created if necessary (flippant, warm/friendly?). sts: then maybe we would have to gramaticalise social relationships, which seems difficult. by the way, have already thought of creating a grammar for the semantics of the words? something to substitute "zwe" in order to explain that it is part of a "to", which is part of a "vu". that would be really, really cool, i think.
14.1:Nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. can also have their register changed. For example, if the word for 'urine' is "navyu", then the word for 'piss' will be "neanavyu" (where "na+vyu" means 'water natural substance'). And if the word meaning 'feces' is "bunavyu", then the word for 'crap' will be "neabunavyu" and the word for 'shit' will be "loyebunavyu" (where "bu+na+vyu" means 'not-water natural substance').
sts: finally i know what's the difference between crap and shit. :) 14.1:It is important to emphasize that the register prefixes always reflect the attitude of the speaker toward the entity that is being modified by the prefix. For example, if the 'contemptuous' prefix is used with the pronoun meaning 'you', it shows that the speaker feels contempt for the listener. If it is used with the pronoun 'I', it indicates that the speaker feels contempt for himself. If the 'humble' prefix is used with the pronoun 'you', it shows that the speaker feels humble in the presence of the listener. If it is used with the pronoun 'I', it indicates that the speaker feels humble in his own presence, as if he were in awe of himself or something he just did.
sts: this way we could implement the pluralis maiestatis. :) 14.1:In other words, when using a register prefix plus "va", the speaker is the effective agent of the register act, the listener is the effective patient, and the embedded sentence is the effective focus, since it is the elaboration of the act of humility, politeness, rudeness, etc. sts: there will be the time to grammarise all these outer-sentence relation crap. :)
15.0:Aspect marks the temporal 'shape' of the event, and whether the event is being viewed from the 'inside' or from the 'outside'. sts: wow! it's the first time that i see it that clear. thank you once again, ram.
15.0:
Perfect or
Perfective:
The event is considered to be a single, bounded unit,
viewed from the outside; i.e., the event is completed.
e.g. Past: In this report, we showed that...
John sang the song.
Present: In this report, we show that...
He catches the ball, swings around, and throws
it...
Future: In this report, we will show that...
John will sing the song.
Imperfect or Imperfective:
The event is considered to be a range of points in time,
viewed from somewhere within the range; i.e., the event
is in progress.
e.g. Past: John was singing the song.
Present: John is singing the song.
Future: John will be singing the song.
sts: ram, my internet explorer on mac os x shows "perfect or
perfective" (with a newline after "or") attached on to the left and
"imperfect or imperfective" a bit to the right...
15.0:Keep in mind that use of the imperfective indicates that we are looking at a point in time within a range of points; in other words, we are viewing the event from the inside. Use of the perfective implies that we are looking at the event as if it were bounded; in other words, we are viewing it from the outside, as if it were a single point in time (although it could be a very "large" point). sts: this reminds me on mathematics... there are environments that can be viewed as bound to one entity (infinitesime) or bigger. i'm looking forward for the explanation of this stuff.
15.0:
Imperfective: John was eating when Bill left.
Perfective: John ate when Bill left.
The first example is not bound and can potentially extend both before
and after the tense time. It's even possible that John is still
eating when the sentence is uttered. The second example is bounded.
John was definitely not eating before Bill left, and was definitely
not eating when the sentence was uttered. In other words, a
perfective event can not extend outside of the boundaries imposed by
the tense time. An imperfective event can extend beyond those
boundaries.
sts: why john was definitely not eating before bill left? does it
mean that he began to only after bill left?
lesson14: tunyo - scissors sts: how do we say "to cut (with scissors)"? is there a single verb? lesson14: I see a few of the hawks high in the sky. Vezdi mi fomundaw lekoji cinsante di cidwa.sts: how can an adverb, "cinsante", explain the highness of the hawks? i don't understand. there must be a link between "high" and "in the sky", i though. hm...
lesson14: Imagine a cold dirty spaceship with hardly any air. Vesindoy pengo bunago bumensa va te cize sumu. sts: once again i'd say "vesinzoy" instead of "vesindoy". lesson14: Why are you two quiet in each other's houses? Butansanta tumi tumu fudi lecavu te tweva kivakxe? sts: so "tumi" is plural or singular "you", right? lesson14: Michelle wants to fly above a specific skyscraper. Casi Kamexebyo jaciski cidi civu semundo. sts: and once again: what if i say "semunto"? lesson14: Did any of the parrots get outside the auditorium? Kibe bufudinga mundaw letaji tato?sts: i imagined the parrots a little more active, so i said "bufudinja". but maybe i shouldn't have. maybe "get" is too unactive to say "bufudinja".
lesson14: Why did you close those two specific windows? Bupegompa tumi vekxe tumundo niju kivakxe?sts: so the two windows are specific because they are two of... dunno, maybe two of the living room windows. right?
lesson14: The actor and the banker went to the duck location on each other's yachts. Pi peski tubyo ne sebyo dinge dwa te genaji xomse lesenango te tweva.sts: :) ha! i understood this: "Pi peski tubyo ne sebyo dinge dwa te genaji ne vodindu lesenango te tweva." i thought the duck location (whatever that is) is on their yachts.
lesson14: John and I talked about the sad book and Mary's tears. Tweda Kajobyo ne mi kotoy bufusinto ne vevyu te Kamaryabyo. sts: who saddened the book? ;)