LINGUIST List 7.568

Wed Apr 17 1996

Qs: Modals, Quantifiers, Numerals, Verbs, Emphasis

Editor for this issue: T. Daniel Seely <dseelyemunix.emich.edu>

Directory

1. "Alan R. King", Q: Cross-linguistic modal survey
2. Lu Bingfu, difference between many and numerous
3. Lu Bingfu, adjectives that preceding numerals
4. michael, russian verbs
5. "Dr. Elke Hentschel", query: "terrible" emphasis

As part of a study on the typology of modality expressions in the world's
languages, I request translations into as many languages as possible
(especially non-European ones!) of the following three sentences:

1) I can go to Tokyo.
2) I have to go to Tokyo.
3) I want to go to Tokyo.

Please literal-gloss the sentences; any further grammatical explanations or
comments will also be most welcome. "Tokyo" may be replaced by any other
place if that is more convenient. If there is a choice of possible
translations, you may give more than one, commenting if possible on
differences between them.

I may want to come back to those who reply with a longer list of more
detailed questions on the subject, so you may wish to indicate in your reply
whether or not you would object to this.

(Note: I placed another query about modals on the list a few weeks ago, but
the number of replies I received was very disappointing. I am nonetheless
grateful to all those who did respond on that occasion. I am led to
conclude that perhaps my previous question was too obscurely worded or too
complicated, hence this new attempt. If and when I receive a substantial
response this time, I will post a combined summary. Note that there is no
need to look at the earlier question when answering now.)

Many thanks!


Alan R. King | EMAIL: mccayjet.es
Indamendi 13, 7C | [or if all else fails] 70244.1674compuserve.com
20800 Zarautz | FAX: +34-43-130396
Gipuzkoa
Euskal Herria / Basque Country (Spain)

I am doing some research on adjective ordering and I found interesting
the difference and similarity between 'many' and 'numerous', both semantically
and syntactically. Any discussion and source on this topic?
It seems to me that 'many' resembles to Chinese 'xuduo'
but 'numerous' to Chinese 'xuduo de' (de is an modification mark), but
there are something more beyond this. 
					Bingfu Lu

I am considering the word order in NPs and the following issue interested 
me.
In Chinese most modifiers can appear before numerals while in Enlish
only a small portion of adjectives can precede numerals such as
"right two lanes, next three days, previous three years, successive
two weeks...". How many adjectives are there in English? Any 
discussion on this position between determiners and nemerals? 
					Bingfu Lu
					East Asian Languages & Cultures
					Univ. of Southern California

dear linguists :
	 russian divides verbs into perfectives and
imperfectives. for the most part, changing a verb from imperfective to
perfective involves adding a verbal prefix, removing an infix (an
interative infix) and adding a prefix, or in some cases using different a
form altogether. for example,
	the verb "to read" is
		chitat when imperfective
		prochitat when perfective
	my question is this : why then, when you consider the verb "to go
shopping for" or "to buy", does the process appear to be reversed ?
		pokupat when imperfective
		kupit when perfective

thanks
michael

=============michael horlick :mhorlickophelia.ucs.indiana.edu===============
==================http://ezinfo.ucs.indiana.edu/~mhorlick====================

While considering expressions like "terribly nice" or "awfully 
kind", I became interested in the question of the universality of this 
kind of emphasis. I know it occurs in German and in Serbocroatian as well - 
but what about other languages? Any example is welcome, and of course I'll 
post a summary.

Elke Hentschel
jasamzedat.fu-berlin.de
eloufjdbsp.zrz.tu-berlin.de