On 2/7/2018 10:11 AM, mayqel qunenoS wrote:
There is something I've been wondering for quite some time.
A sao has the form {sentence 'e' verb}, with the {'e'} referring to the {sentence}.
If we write {vIghro' vIje' 'e' Dalegh}, then this means "you saw that I fed the cat".
But what happens, when before the {'e'} we have two joined sentences ?
Suppose we write {vIghro' vIje' 'ej chab wIvut 'e' Dalegh}.
Where does the {'e'} refer now ? Does it refer to the entire {vIghro' vIje' 'ej chab wIvut}, or does it only refer to the {chab wIvut} ?
Does the {vIghro' vIje' 'ej chab wIvut 'e' Dalegh} mean:
"I fed the cat, and you saw that we baked the pie", or does it mean "You saw that I fed the cat and that we baked the pie" ? Or does it mean both ?
Strictly according to the text of TKD, it could mean either. Sentence as object is not defined as "sentence 'e' verb"; it is defined as "sentence1 sentence2" (although there is later mention of the "two-verb (or two-sentence) construction." There are several kinds of SAO, including those using *'e'* or *net,* those using *neH* in the second sentence, those using verbs of speech, and those using *rIntaH.* TKD doesn't give much explanation as to what sorts of sentences are allowed as sentence one or sentence two. It only uses basic sentences as components of the examples. I see no particular reason why a compound sentence couldn't be used as sentence one. For that matter, I'm not sure that sentence two couldn't be a compound sentence: *chab wIvut 'e' Dachaw' 'ej 'e' Dabej*/You permit us to and watch us bake a pie./ Maybe one could argue that the use of the phrase "two-verb... construction" means compound sentences can't be used in an SAO, but I don't think that was the intention of the phrase. I think it just didn't occur to Okrand. How about comparatives as sentence one? People do that all the time. *SoH HoS law' jIH HoS puS 'e' vItem*/I deny that you're stronger than me./ How about dependent clauses on either half of an SAO? No reason not to do that, and that would introduce more verbs, despite the "two-verb... construction." But you're right that there's ambiguity. As always, ambiguity is a normal part of language. If you want to avoid ambiguity, be more explicit. *vIghro' vIje' 'e' Dalegh 'ej chab wIvut 'e' Dalegh*/You see me feed the cat and you see us bake a pie./ -- SuStel http://trimboli.name