tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Mar 04 21:33:09 1999
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Re: Placement of aspect suffixes
- From: [email protected]
- Subject: Re: Placement of aspect suffixes
- Date: Fri, 5 Mar 1999 00:31:19 EST
In a message dated 3/4/1999 8:10:26 PM US Mountain Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:
<< Mandarin "-wan" appears as tense when it's interpreted into English, and it
appears as perfective when interpreted into Baltic-Slavonic languages. That
still sounds like it can be translated as either past tense or perfective.
I can't see any other way to read it.
[Based on another message I read from you today, I don't think that Mandarin
"-wan" means *either* past tense or perfective aspect. I think it acts more
like a change of state event than it acts like an aspect.] >>
===============
qatlh bImul? English grammarians use terminology adapted to the English
language; Balto-Slavonic languages' grammarians often use terminology adapted
to their individual languages; Chinese grammarians use terminology adapted to
Chinese. We translate the whole-sentence concepts rather than analyzing the
parts of speech.
Chinangan Hol mu'tlheghDaq mu' {le} (pronounced "luhh, neutral tone) vIchelDI'
choH mu'tlhegh ghu'. mu' {le} HutlhtaHvIS mu'tlhegh, ta'taHghach neH 'oS wot
'ay' {-wan}. Event 'oSbe'. 'ach mu'tlhegh naQ Dotlh choHmoH. poH ngu'be'.
peHruS