[YG Conlang Archives] > [katanda group] > messages [Date Index] [Thread Index] >
BestATN@hidden.email wrote: > > "Xo" by itself is an A/P-d verb (='xompa'), with an agent, but 'xonja' is > P/F-d. There is no agent. Yet above, it says 'xonjo' applies only to the > AGENT that is successful. Shouldn't it say "only to the patient that is > successful"? > "Xonja" is AP/F-d, "xonga" is P/F-d. > > instead of Monsanda nango kiva = How long is the boat? > can we say Monsanta kiku nango? > Yes, but keep in mind that the semantics are slightly different. In the first, you are saying literally "what is the length of the boat?"; i.e., you are asking for a measurement. In the second, you are saying "to what degree is the boat long?". The answer "very long" would be appropriate for the second but not for the first, since "very long" is not really a measurement. Also, keep in mind that the similarity in semantics only applies to "-nsa" derivations, since these have a special meaning when focused. > > This sentence from Lesson 16 doesn't illustrate anything new in the lesson: > > > The airplanes looked like tears of blood in the sky. > Pi vetenda lecingo gevevyu te gezuvyu dindu cidwa. > I occasionally add such sentences if I want to give the student practice with words that have not been used recently. One of the things I hate about most natlang courses is that they'll frequently teach you a word in one lesson and then never use it again for the remainder of the course. I need to have my memory refreshed occasionally. Regards, Rick Morneau http://www.srv.net/~ram http://www.eskimo.com/~ram