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Re: [katanda] xebe

In a message dated 2002-09-20 12:13:05 PM Eastern Daylight Time, sts@hidden.email writes:

so "xebe" is "maxebenza ma mi"? ;)
how would you translate  "xebe" and "maxebenza" respectively?


stefo,
their translations are pretty much the same:
maxebenza - to be likely
xebe - it's likely that

this comment from Lesson 30 seems to explain it best [with appropriate modifications due to the differences in parts of speech (adverb vs. verb) and polarity prefix (vibe vs. xebe)]:

L30:
["Mavibenze" is more general than "vibe", since it can imply
that others in addition to the speaker are certain of the truth
of the statement.  Also note that, since it is an adverb, its
syntax is different as well.]

so "xebe" means "it's likely (to me) that...", whereas "maxebenza" applies to other people too.

this gets us back to my original question:  does "fobenza mi" mean the same as "fobe"?  and i think the simple answer is yes.  their is a more detailed answer too: the two are used slightly differently, and their translations are different:

fobenza mi = I doubt [+focus]
fobe = it seems unlikely (to me) that [clause]

since the focus of "fobenza mi" can be other things besides a clause, it is more general than "fobe".  if the focus of "fobenza mi" is a clause, then i see no difference in their meaning, and i can't think of anywhere where they wouldn't be interchangeable.   and that gets us back to YOUR question:  "xebe" means the same as "xebenza mi" (without the "ma-" and with the same restriction of the focus being a clause).


there is no word "ma" (it has no classifier, for one thing). and there is no middle voice analog to "pava" to indicate the unexpressed subject of a middle verb. 


here is some more info i found that has some bearing on this topic:

K-E:  xebenza - think, feel, reckon, be of the opinion, take as likely
    or probable. Pi xebenza mi budinca sekobyo = I thought that the
    professor left. Xebenza mi budincapsaw sekobyo = I take as likely
    the professor's departure.

K-E:  maxebenzo - likely, probable, almost certain. Batsa mabatsangi
    maxebenzo goy budinja sekobyo kospa = The likely outcome is that
    the professor will leave the school. Bube maxebenza budincapsaw
    sekobyo = The professor's departure isn't likely.

K-E:  be - probability modal disjunct. This is the probability modal
    disjunct. See the chapter on ... Xebe tenda Kajobyo nango = It's almost certain that John has the boat. ....

LS:    Louise xebe buy it
    = Louise must have bought it
       OR Louise almost certainly bought it.

LS: [paraphrases of the modalities] probability:   I feel that situation F is true
                        = I believe F
                        I feel that situation F is unlikely/improbable
                        = I doubt F

L16: xebe - It's almost certain that ...

L17 (concerning the difference between disjunct and related verb):
2. Note that "xenidu" is a disjunct and applies to the entire clause
that follows it, indicating that the event 'needs' to be accomplished,
while "xenidunda" is a verb indicating that the subject 'needs' the
object:

    Xenidu sesku mi cango va = I need to buy an automobile.

    Xenidunda mi cango va = I need an automobile.

L19:
1. Use the high consequentiality modal disjunct "xepodu" to indicate
that a situation will have negative consequences if a hypothetical
event does not take place:

    Xepodu budinca tumi pinde dinca kobyo.
    = You had better leave before the teacher arrives.

The verb form "xepodunda" means that it's urgent for the patient to
perform the focus:

    Xepodunda tumi jabudinca sembe = It's urgent that you leave now.

Stevo