LL-L "Language varieties" 2005.06.06 (04) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

======================================================================
L O W L A N D S - L * 06.JUN.2005 (04) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
http://www.lowlands-l.net * lowlands-l at lowlands-l.net
Rules & Guidelines: http://www.lowlands-l.net/index.php?page=rules
Posting: lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org or lowlands-l at lowlands-l.net
Commands ("signoff lowlands-l" etc.): listserv at listserv.net
Server Manual: http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/1.8c/userindex.html
Archives: http://listserv.linguistlist.org/archives/lowlands-l.html
Encoding: Unicode (UTF-8) [Please switch your view mode to it.]
=======================================================================
You have received this because you have been subscribed upon request.
To unsubscribe, please send the command "signoff lowlands-l" as message
text from the same account to listserv at listserv.linguistlist.org or
sign off at http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-lowlands-l.html.
=======================================================================
A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic V=(West)Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeêuws)
=======================================================================

From: Kevin Caldwell <kcaldwell31 at comcast.net>
Subject: LL-L "Language varieties" 2005.05.02 (01) [E]

> From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Language varieties
>
> Hi, Heather!
>
> That's an interesting ... proposal (?).
>
> I think it needs to be added that, as a trade-off for morphological
> "impoverishment," English was forced to adopt a relatively inflexible
> syntax.  In other words, the loss of marking necessitated more rigid
> sentence structure whereby case marking now relies solely upon a word's
> position; e.g.,
>
> [[subj.] [[verb] [indir.obj.] [dir.obj.]]
> The mother gave her husband the boy.
>
> This is pretty much it, except that you can use "to" to change the
> structure:
>
> The mother gave  the boy to her husband.
> (The mother gave to her husband the boy. Iffy)
>
> On the other hand, in languages that preserve morphological marking, the
> syntactic structure is more flexible, can be altered for various reasons,
> such as emphasis or simply poetic purposes; e.g.,

English syntax can be altered for poetic purposes as well, and one can
figure out the meaning in most cases, as in:

The mother the boy to her husband gave.

> Russian:
>
> Мать давала мальчиков её супругам.
> Mat’ davala mal’čikov jejo suprugam.
> (Mother gave (fem.) boy (acc.) her spouse (dat.).)
>
> Мать давала её супругам мальчиков.
> Mat’ davala jejo suprugam mal’čikov.
> (Mother gave (fem.) her spouse (dat.) boy (acc.).)
>
> Мать мальчиков давала её супругам.
> Mat’ mal’čikov davala jejo suprugam.
> (Mother boy (acc.) gave (fem.) her spouse (dat.).)
>
> Мать её супругам давала мальчиков.
> Mat’ jejo suprugam davala mal’čikov.
> (Mother her spouse (dat.) boy (acc.) gave (fem.).)

Um, you're using the accusative and dative plurals for some reason.  Those
should be:

Мать давала мальчика её супругу.
Mat' davala mal'chika jejo suprugu.

Etc.

Better yet, use the word for 'husband' - муж.

Kevin Caldwell

==============================END===================================
Please submit postings to lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org.
Postings will be displayed unedited in digest form.
Please display only the relevant parts of quotes in your replies.
Commands for automated functions (including "signoff lowlands-l")
are  to be sent to listserv at listserv.linguistlist.org or at
http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-lowlands-l.html.
=======================================================================