Glokaja kuzdra shteko budlanula bokra

[Heinrich Pfandl]

Dear Seelangers,

I'd like to point out (and agree with one of the participants of the
discussion, Robert Orr) that sentences of this kind have a meaning, and not
only a grammatical one. One of the possible semantic interpretations of
this phrase can be found in Boris Gasparov's wonderful book "Jazyk.
Pamjat'. Obraz" (Moscow 1996), pp. 94-96.

One could translate Shcherba's example into German in very different ways:
Die nülzische Kunsche schripfte daldig den Writt
Die delfige Schrinte wesste nosrig den Mauf
etc. etc.
and every sentence would have, for every speaker of German (native or not),
a different semantic aura: connotations, associations, sound...





                                * * *

Heinrich Pfandl
Institut fuer Slawistik der Universitaet Graz
Merangasse 70
A-8010 GRAZ, Austria.
Tel.: +43/316/380-2525 oder 2520.
Fax: +43/316/380-9773.
mailto:pfandl at kfunigraz.ac.at

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                http://members.home.net/lists/seelangs/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------