[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: Passive Constructions
- To: hombre!pyrmania.oz.au!major (Major)
- Subject: Re: Passive Constructions
- Date: Thu, 18 Oct 90 13:35:52 EDT
- In-Reply-To: <9010180450.21644@munnari.oz.au>; from "Major" at Oct 17, 90 1:06 pm
>
> In sci.lang you write:
>
> >The tags fa, fe, fi, fo, fu allow marking the places so
> >that they can be re-ordered without change of structure, like the
> >re-ordering possible in Latin where 'homo canem mordet' can become 'canem
> >homo mordet' as opposed to passivating it.
>
> Ummm... I don't know latin, what does that do?
Absolutely nothing! "Homo canem mordet" and "canem homo mordet" mean the
same thing: "man bites dog". The case inflections tell the whole tale.
In Lojban, fa...fu can be used to provide sort-of inflections, making us
independent of word order, or we can use the default word order.
> How do you mark a place (other than subject) as empty?
>
> IE: .abu canja by <what> dy
>
> A exchanges object B for some unspecified object with partner D
Good question. The word "zo'e" fills an empty place, and means
"some unspecified thing".
--
cowan@marob.masa.com (aka ...!hombre!marob!cowan)
e'osai ko sarji la lojban