sAE: Difference between revisions

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Latest revision as of 09:16, 30 June 2014

Notes in square brackets of whether each feature is possible in Lojban.

Haspelmath (2001) lists further features characteristic of European languages (but also found elsewhere):

  1. verb-initial order in yes/no questions
    • optionally possible in Lojban
  2. comparative inflection of adjectives (e.g. English bigger)
    • optionally possible in Lojban
  3. conjunction A, B and C
    • no, needs extra ke ... ke'e brackets for nesting, the default is "A and B and C"
  4. syncretism of comitative and instrumental cases (e.g. English with my friends vs. with a knife)
    • terrible polysemy, but comitative is vague enough to be used instead of instrumental, so yes, possible
  5. suppletivism in second vs. two
    • of course not, it's stupid and has mostly historical explanations
  6. no distinction between alienable (e.g. legal property) and inalienable (e.g. body part) possession
    • possible with pe
  7. no distinction between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns ("we and you" vs. "we and not you")
    • not possible yet, always distinguishable, probably the definition of SAE "we" should be "I and other people, optionally including the listener". Experimental mi'ai is a possible solution.
  8. no productive usage of reduplication
    • yes, not used
  9. topic and focus expressed by intonation and word order
    • possilbe with intonation; possible by word order, which is probably an universal
  10. word order subject–verb–object
    • yes, by default
  11. only one gerund, preference for finite subordinate clauses
    • well, one gerund is definitely possible
  12. specific "neither-nor" construction
    • not very specific, a part of a neat conjunctive system
  13. phrasal adverbs (e.g. English already, still, not yet)
    • can be seen as advebrs
  14. tendency towards replacement of past tense by the perfect
    • pragmatically possible as a tendency, not as a rule