LINGUIST List 11.2018

Sat Sep 23 2000

Qs: "at least", Arabic Conditional Markers

Editor for this issue: Karen Milligan <karenlinguistlist.org>



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  • Suzette Haden Elgin, At least
  • Eerik Dickinson, Arabic conditional markers

    Message 1: At least

     Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2000 07:01:21 -0600
    From: Suzette Haden Elgin <oclsmadisoncounty.net>
    Subject: At least


    Sptember 21, 2000

    Dear Linguists,

    I've been searching for materials regarding "at least" constructions, without success, and would be grateful for any references or suggestions that you might have. You can reply to me directly at OCLSmadisoncounty.net, and I'll post a summary if responses justify that.

    I'm especially interested in constructions such as "You could at LEAST get to WORK on time!" and their various permutations; I'm especially interested in "at least" equivalents in languages other than English. However, I would be grateful for anything at all having to do with "at least."

    Thanks for your help.

    Suzette Haden Elgin

    Message 2: Arabic conditional markers

     Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2000 11:42:52 -0700 (PDT)
    From: Eerik Dickinson <eerikdyahoo.com>
    Subject: Arabic conditional markers






    Dear Sirs

    In the course of preparing a grammar of Libyan Arabic, we have run into a terminological question for which we have no answer. In applied linguistics, the treatment of the three main conditional markers in Arabic (law, in, idhaa) occurs under the heading of "Conditional Sentences." Nevertheless, it is commonly recognized that idhaa often carries a sense far closer to "when" rather than "if." Is there any single term which covers the entire range of meanings represented by the these particles? We considered something along the lines of "Circumstantial Sentences," but have discovered that this is often applied to events which have already occurred (closer to indamaa or lammaa, although we have discovered that lammaa in Libyan is often used in the sense of idhaa). Any ideas?

    Eerik Dickinson