tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Sep 19 00:57:40 2007
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Re: Positioning for emphasis
- From: QeS 'utlh <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: Positioning for emphasis
- Date: Wed, 19 Sep 2007 17:55:47 +1000
- Importance: Normal
jIja'pu':
>In truth, it isn't the grammatical subject. It's the semantic subject, but
>not the grammatical one.
mujang ghunchu'wI', ja':
>Grammar is what lets semantic roles be expressed in a comprehensible
>sentence.
Yes, but semantic roles do not always have a one-to-one correlation with grammatical roles.
>If it's the subject, it should be marked as the subject.
Okay, I'll argue on a different tack: in the English sentence "I hit myself", I am simultaneously the semantic subject and object of the sentence. I'm the only one involved. But the *grammatical* subject is "I", and the grammatical object is "myself".
In the same way, in {puq'e' yaS qIp}, I argue that the child can simultaneously be the semantic subject and topic (although it doesn't have to be). But the *grammatical* subject is the zero pronominal prefix of the verb, and the grammatical topic is the header {puq'e'}. However, I don't see any reason why the pronominal prefix of the verb {qIp} couldn't have the topic as its antecedent, especially as the reflexive and reciprocal suffixes can't license any argument outside the OVS core of the sentence (and, for that matter, they can't access the direct object either).
>In Klingon, that's done by putting it after the verb.
You'll get no argument from me there. I don't interpret {puq'e' yaS qIp} as being fundamentally Subject-Object-Verb, though; I see it as Header-Object-Verb with the subject expressed as the pronominal prefix and referring to the same entity as the header does, in the same way as I don't see why {ghaHvaD cheng qIp} couldn't mean "he hit Chang for his (Chang's) benefit".
QeS 'utlh
tlhIngan Hol yejHaD pab po'wI' / Grammarian of the Klingon Language Institute
not nItoj Hemey ngo' juppu' ngo' je
(Old roads and old friends will never deceive you)
- Ubykh Hol vIttlhegh
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