tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Sep 16 07:43:24 2007
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Re: Positioning for emphasis
>>>> How would you go about translating {puq'e' yaS qIp ghaH}, then?
ja' SuStel:
> The answer is simple: {puq'e'} is not the subject of the sentence.
> It is the topic. Topics, as well as locatives, from-phrases,
> beneficiaries, timestamps, and adverbials, come before the object.
If the context is "topics other than subject or object", or even just
"topics", then the sentence is arguably a perfect example. However,
that's not what we're trying to discuss. You're giving a good
explanation of your answer, but you are not answering the original
question.
> {ghaH} is the subject. That {puq'e'} is the antecedent of {ghaH} is
> unimportant.
In Philip's original suggestion, crossposted from the CONLANG list,
{puq'e'} is definitely the subject. Part of his point was that
{ghaH} wasn't needed at all, because {puq} was already part of the
sentence. That point is under contention.
> This sentence is not ungrammatical.
If it is grammatical, it is by accident, and the sentence does not
carry the desired meaning. Topic and emphasis are not the same
thing. In the context of "positioning for emphasis", I firmly
believe that the sentence is simply wrong.
-- ghunchu'wI'
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