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<DIV>Hello,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> I believe the question comes down to the problem of transitive vs.</DIV>
<DIV>intransitive verbs and verbal phrases: In Cheyenne (by my understanding)</DIV>
<DIV>as in other Algic languages, the animacy or inanimacy of the direct object</DIV>
<DIV>determines the verbal form used-which is irrelevant in English, which</DIV>
<DIV>natural sustantive gender. A transitive verb implies a verb or verbal</DIV>
<DIV>phrase which carries an action from a subject to an object-requires a</DIV>
<DIV>direct object. An intransitive verb or verbal phrase does not, or cannot,</DIV>
<DIV>take a direct object. </DIV>
<DIV> In the case of both "set" and "sit" transitive and intransitive forms </DIV>
<DIV>can be used-they are not "exclusive" in this sense. Sit is more likely</DIV>
<DIV>to be intransitive, set transitive.</DIV>
<DIV> For example, usages of 'sit' (intransitive): "to perch" (as with birds),</DIV>
<DIV>to pose for a photograph, a legislative body that "sits", to remain unused (as</DIV>
<DIV>in, "the suits sat unworn in the closet for many years"), "that jacket sits</DIV>
<DIV>well on you...etcetera.</DIV>
<DIV> For transitive usages; to cause to seat (s.o.), to sit on eggs...</DIV>
<DIV> In the case of 'set'-transitive usage is more frequent, as in; to set a</DIV>
<DIV>book on a table, to put in a specified state, in the sense of to adjust</DIV>
<DIV>(to set sail, for example), to arrange for use (set the table)...etcetera...</DIV>
<DIV> For intransitive usages; "the sun sets on the horizon", in the sense</DIV>
<DIV>of to decline, to get hard or harden, a broken bone that "sets".</DIV>
<DIV> Both verbs come from the common proto-IE form *-sed...and</DIV>
<DIV>by usage are intimately related, not only in English, but in other</DIV>
<DIV>Germanic languages as well.</DIV>
<DIV> In the Algic languages (by my understanding) the animacy or</DIV>
<DIV>inanimacy of the noun is not necessarily always intertwined with</DIV>
<DIV>whether or not it is 'alive', per se. Correct? Yet, the verbal form</DIV>
<DIV>is impacted by the sustantive class-unlike English.</DIV>
<DIV> In English animacy and inanimacy of the direct object is not</DIV>
<DIV>of such import. Someone can "sit" on ANY direct object...it </DIV>
<DIV>doesn't matter...</DIV>
<DIV> I hope this helps somewhat.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Guy Gambill</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> <BR><BR><B><I>'Lou Hohulin' <lou_hohulin@sil.org></I></B> wrote:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid"><TT>In English, I think we differentiate between 'sit' and 'set'. 'Set' generally means to cause something (inanimate object) to 'sit'. Does that fit your data?<BR><BR>Lou<BR><BR>On Fri, 19 Mar 2004 21:47:33 -0700<BR>"Wayne Leman" <wayne_leman@sil.org> wrote:<BR>> I'm having a mental block right now as I am working on the Cheyenne lexicon.<BR>> As I file entries I often include a semantic domain keyword. This keyword<BR>> allows me to extract all lexical entries for a specific semantic domain,<BR>> such as all words having to do with cutting, or horses, or weather.<BR>> <BR>> I already have a semantic domain keyword of 'sit.' It is used for all verbs<BR>> which have stem morphology marked that the subject is an animate being that<BR>> is sitting (or, more generally, being at a location, typically in some form<BR>> of sitting). The English word 'sit'
seems natural enough for me to be the<BR>> semantic domain keyword for these verb stems.<BR>> <BR>> Now, in Cheyenne, as in its sister languages of the Algonquian language<BR>> family, there are also verbs corresponding to the preceding class, but which<BR>> have an inanimate entity being at a location. I've been checking my<BR>> dictionaries and I *think* the English word 'sit' is also used for semantic<BR>> states of inananimate entities "sitting." For me, the English word "sit"<BR>> somehow does not sound as natural for this class of verbs which take<BR>> inanimate subjects (and stem morphology which registers the fact that there<BR>> is an inanimate subject).<BR>> <BR>> Regardless of my English intuitions on naturalness about 'sit' used with<BR>> inanimate subjects, I need some other semantic domain keyword so I can<BR>> differentiate the two verb classes and extract verbs of one or the other,<BR>> when desired. I can, of course, use
some dummy keyword such as "xyz", but I<BR>> find it easier to remember my semantic domain keywords if they bear some<BR>> resemblance to "reality."<BR>> <BR>> For the time being I am using an abbreviation "sit inan" for the second<BR>> class of verbs, but I'm wondering if any of you who are not having a mental<BR>> block while reading this message (or at least not when you started reading<BR>> it!) might have a suggestion for another English word which sounds natural<BR>> when used to describe inanimate objects which "are at", e.g.<BR>> <BR>> "The box is on the table." (Cheyenne uses a single verb for "is on".)<BR>> "The house is in a nice location." (Cheyenne uses a single short verb for<BR>> "be in a nice location.")<BR>> "It's jello (a verb stem composed of two parts, literally, 'quiver-be.at')<BR>> etc.<BR>> <BR>> If you need to sit (ahem!) on this for awhile, feel free, but any<BR>> suggestions would be appreciated.<BR>>
<BR>> Thanks,<BR>> Wayne<BR>> -----<BR>> Wayne Leman<BR>> Cheyenne website: <A href="http://www.geocities.com/cheyenne_language">http://www.geocities.com/cheyenne_language</A><BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Yahoo! Groups Links<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR><BR></TT><BR></BLOCKQUOTE><p><font face=arial size=-1>Do you Yahoo!?<br>
<a href="http://taxes.yahoo.com/filing.html"><b>Yahoo! Finance Tax Center</a></b> - File online. File on time.
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