From cowan@xxxxx.xxxx.xxxx Mon Sep 27 07:39:34 1999
X-Digest-Num: 246
Message-ID: <44114.246.1347.959273825@eGroups.com>
Date: Mon, 27 Sep 1999 10:39:34 -0400 (EDT)
From: John Cowan <cowan@xxxxx.xxxx.xxxx
Subject: Re: How to paint

Zeno scripsit:

> cintyfaigau:cinta+fatri+gasnu:to paint something:$gasnu1 $fatri1
> $=cinta1 $fatri2
> 
> cinta paint 
> x1 [material] is a paint of pigment/active substance x2, in a base
> of x3 a 6 (cf. pixra, skari)
> 
> fatri fai distribute 
> x1 is distributed/allotted/allocated/shared among x2 with
> shares/portions x3; (x2/x3 fa'u) 8c 22 [also spread,
> shared out, apportioned; agentive distribution (= fairgau,
> fairzu'e)]; (cf. cmavo list fa'u, fendi, preja, katna, tcana)
> 
> gasnu gau do 
> x1 [person/agent] is an agentive cause of event x2; 
> x1 does/brings about x2 2e 142 (cf. cmavo
> list gau, gunka, zukte, rinka, fasnu for non-agentive events,
> jibri, kakne, pilno)
> 
> For cintyfaigau, I assume the sumti are not taken from gasnu, but are
> the doohickeys listed with dollar signs after the definition, which
> would make the sumti x1 from gasnu x1, x2 from fatri x1, x3 from cinta
> x1, and x4 from fatri x2.

Basically correct, but see below.

> Can anyone tell me what the equals sign
> means on x3 ($=cinta1)?

It means that this place is not present because it is semantically
the same as the previous place, fatri1. In other words, the "paint" is
the same as "that which is distributed".

> I don't know if the "la"s are supposed to be there when "fo" is used.
> Obviously, I don't know what the heck I'm doing :-! What am I doing?

Yes. But "la" means "the one named", so "la zdani" is not "the home"
but "Home". You probably want "le".

-- 
John Cowan cowan@ccil.org
I am a member of a civilization. --David Brin