SEALTEACH Re: "To Be" (fwd)

[Yuphaphann Hoonchamlong]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001 13:09:33 -0600
From: John Grima <MKJGRIMA at ihc.com>
Reply-To: sealteach at nectec.or.th
To: sealteach at nectec.or.th
Subject: SEALTEACH Re: "To Be"

Dear SEALTEACH,
This is in response to a request for information that was posted
several months ago.  It was from a woman at University of Michigan, and
it concerned the verb "to be" in various languages.  I have lost the
original request, and so cannot respond directly.  If possible, I ask
your assistance in forwarding this to the originator.  Thank you.

Thai has three verbs that match up to the ordinary uses of English "to
be".

pen (mid tone) occurs with occupations and relationships:  I am a
teacher.  She is the mother.  It is also used with disease and illness,
where English would have "have":  I am cancer.  I am a cold.

khyy (mid tone) occurs with identities: This is a car.  He is the one
who did it.  In the latter usage, pen is also possible, but less
correct, I think.  khyy also occurs as a verb of clarification or
assertion with the equivalent of "that" clauses:  khyy waa (waa, falling
tone). In this usage it asserts an equivalency between an assertion or
explanation that has preceded and one that is about to follow.

yuu (low tone) is a verb of location in Thai.  It is used where ever
English "to be" functions as a locator and pretty much where ever
English has "live" in the sense of location.  He is in the classroom,
etc.  He lives in Phuket.  It is also an opposite for "to be dead":  to
be still alive.

pen participates in a three way contrast with daay (falling tone) and
waay (rising tone) in a post-verbal serial verb construction.  All three
convey parts of the notion "to be able".  Do something pen; do something
daay; do something waay.  Pen conveys ability in the sense of English
"can" when the latter is contrasted with "may"; it conveys knowledge and
skill "ability".  waay would probably also be covered in English under
"can", but it relates to physical and mental readiness, having the
strength and the will at the time, thus "able".  Daay is said to convey
the English sense of "may", permission.  It also acts as a substitute
for either of the others in less than precise speech.  There is no
question that the pen that occurs is in this meaning is the same pen
that occurs as "to be"

The passive voice use of "to be" in English has no parallel in Thai.

For continuous aspect, there is a partial overlap.  The verb yuu "to be
located" is used in a post-verbal serial verb construction with a
continuous meaning:  do something yuu, "is doing".  I have always seen
this as location rather than being, but the fact is, the overlap is
there.

The word I know for existence is a compound of pen and yuu with a
nominalizer: khwaam (mid tone) pen yuu.  There are surely more
sophisticated vocabulary for addressing this notion in Thai, words from
the Buddhist tradition, but I like this one, seeing a nice duality,
existence as being and occupancy occurring together.

At the moment, I cannot recall other compounds with pen, yuu, or khyy
... but that doesn't mean there aren't any.

I hope you received more timely responses.  I apologize for my first
answer, which was way out of line.  If you have any desire to further
discuss Thai grammar or vocabulary, please feel free to write.

John Grima
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