Return-Path: <@FINHUTC.HUT.FI:LOJBAN@CUVMB.BITNET> Received: from FINHUTC.hut.fi by xiron.pc.helsinki.fi with smtp (Linux Smail3.1.28.1 #14) id m0pBnXP-0000PbC; Mon, 20 Dec 93 18:32 EET Message-Id: Received: from FINHUTC.HUT.FI by FINHUTC.hut.fi (IBM VM SMTP V2R2) with BSMTP id 1678; Mon, 20 Dec 93 18:33:06 EET Received: from SEARN.SUNET.SE (NJE origin MAILER@SEARN) by FINHUTC.HUT.FI (LMail V1.1d/1.7f) with BSMTP id 1676; Mon, 20 Dec 1993 18:33:06 +0200 Received: from SEARN.SUNET.SE (NJE origin LISTSERV@SEARN) by SEARN.SUNET.SE (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 8395; Mon, 20 Dec 1993 17:31:59 +0100 Date: Mon, 20 Dec 1993 16:21:37 GMT Reply-To: Colin Fine Sender: Lojban list From: Colin Fine Subject: POssessives To: Veijo Vilva Content-Length: 891 Lines: 31 More thoughts on possessives: I know my previous mail was a bit of a flame, and I respect Bob's wish not to get into argument. I also accept that possessives are something we have, and I'm not seriously pushing to get away from them. But it suddenly occurred to me to wonder how Loglan would have turned out in this regard if JCB and the rest of us had all been speakers of an NG language like French instead of a predominently GN one like English? Would we have felt the need for preposed genitives? Or would they be restricted in some way to personal pronouns (as in French, where le le ctuca ku mlatu comes out as le chat de la professeur ie with the structure le mlatu pe le ctuca but le mi mlatu is still mon chat )? An idle speculation, nothing more. Colin noi lidne finti lo lidne galfytergerna no'u zoi gy preposed relatives gy