From LOJBAN%CUVMB.BITNET@uga.cc.uga.edu Mon Dec 5 07:25:18 1994 Message-Id: <199412051225.AA27157@nfs1.digex.net> Date: Mon Dec 5 07:25:18 1994 From: Veijo Vilva Subject: Re: cmavo hit list - lojbab responds Status: RO la lojbab cusku di'e > Date: Fri, 2 Dec 1994 15:39:56 -0500 > From: Logical Language Group > Subject: cmavo hit list - lojbab responds > This came down to questions about which location tenses could be mapped > to real language usages. Note also that the system was developed before > Cowan did his thorough space-time-reference analysis, so that the > explanations or the distinctions are all post hoc. > > I think Finnish was one of those languages that has many more locative > prepositions (and cases?) than English has, so perhaps Veijo could > comment. Finnish has 6 locative cases - 3 inner and 3 outer ones: talossa inessive in the house talosta elative from within the house taloon illative into the house talolla adessive at/on the house talolta ablative from the the house talolle allative to the house (BTW the adessive is also used to indicate possession as there is no verb corresponding to 'to have': pojalla on koira the boy has a dog ) We also use a number of postpositional constructs with locational cases attached to the genitive of the root word to clarify and/or emphasize some spatial relationship. These constructs also employ to other cases which aren't usually considered locational. talon alla under the house talon alta from under the house talon alle (to) under the house talon luona at the house ~talolla talon luokse to the house ~talolle talon takana behind the house ( -na essive ) talon taakse (to) behind the house ( -kse translative ) ( The essive usually expresses 'as being something' and the translative 'turning into something': lapsena as a child lapseksi into a child ) Personally I'm in favour of a comprehensive set of spatial tenses. I have never felt that Lojban has too many of them - even if there are some with no counterpart in all the other languages I know. -- co'o mi'e veion --------------------------------- .i mi du la'o sy. Veijo Vilva sy. ---------------------------------