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mental vs. sensory verbs

In a message dated 5/17/2007 7:31:20 AM Central Daylight Time, sts@hidden.email writes:


Why do you distinguish between mental and sensory verbs?

Hm. So apparently we have indeed different grammatical views here...



This is a direct result of Latejami.  RAM used different classifiers, one (kop; Saweli "va") for mental activities, the other (kiv) for physical relations.  Both indicate scalar relational states, and both are P/F-s.  I think the distinction is quite a good one, though.  
In fact, I've split the physical relation classifier into two: one (ve) for external senses (the standard senses for perceiving the (objective) world outside one's own body, such as see, hear, smell, taste, feel) and one (ve'u) for internal senses ((purely subjective) perceptions of the internal state of one's own body, not accessible to anyone else).  

It turns out that the internal states generally seem to be unfocused (e.g., one may be hungry or thirsty, but not usually for something in particular).  So while classifier "ve" still has the original argument structure, P/F-s, "ve'u" has only "P-s".  Focuses can be added by using suffix "-wu-".

Yen ve'usop yaras = I am hungry.
Yen ve'usonwup yaras lakres zok = I am hungry for some ice cream.

stevo