FEELINGS (Abstract Notions)

["Alfred W. Tüting"]

 > Fascinating examples from Clive.  The use of a- to mean 'more than'  
is an interesting one in Lakota.  It seems to be not totally  
productive and is a bit illusive, but one sees examples of it.  I  
have  a feeling that it is more frequent in Dakota, but can't think on  
what basis I have this feeling.  Does anyone else have this impression?
Bruce <


It's my impression that with regard to productiveness, it's maybe  
comparable to the use of ki- (in the sense of "become", "turn to")  
e.g. kiaguyapi (to turn into bread). Does anyone happen to know of  
other renderings like "turn into stone" (petrify) or such??

BTW, this a- in the sense of "more than" seems to express a "general  
idea" found also in other languages. E.g. think of Hungarian adessive   
-nál/-nél (at) also used as comparative (e.g. ennél jobb - better  
than this).

Alfred


""Alfred W. Tüting"" <ti at fa-kuan.muc.de> wrote:
 > "LochiNpi kiN he iyes^ akhiphapi kta thawat'elyapi na iyoks^ica uNpi
 > kiN he e athawat'elyapi s^ni kiN hecha."

 > [=As for themselves, they preferred facing hunger,
  to living in
 > sadness (i.e. loneliness) - such were their (feelings) or 'such was
 > their situation'.]
 > (lit. : they felt willing to face the prospect of  hunger, and they
 > did not feel a greater willingness to be living in desolation -
 > that's the way it was).


(Loċinpi kin he iyeṡ aḱip'a pi kta ṫawat'elya pi na
  iyokiṡica un pi kin he e
aṫawat'elya pi ṡni kin héċa.)

(...)

BTW, I like your reading of a-ṫawat'elyA <- a-waṡte (better than),  
it's very
convincing.

Alfred
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/siouan/attachments/20071210/76e2997f/attachment.htm>