WikiDiscuss

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> On Wed, May 19, 2004 at 06:30:52PM -0700, Jorge Llamb?as wrote:
> > ju'ido'u za'a lo mlatu ca'o va kavbu lo smacu
> > Look! Cat(s) catching mouse/mice there!
>
> Why is that not using 'le'? Seems like if we're observing something, we
> must have it in mind.

You can use {le} there, too. With {le}, what you're saying is:
"About that cat over there, and that mouse over there, I claim
that a kavbu relationship holds between them".

With {lo}, what you're saying is: "There's cat-catching-mouse
activity going on over there". If you don't particularly care to
say something about the particular cat and/or about the particular
mouse then you use {lo}.

The fact that you are seeing an instance of a cat does not mean
you are forced to say something about that instance. You can point
at the cat and mouse and say: "Didn't I tell you? Cats catch mice,
can you see it?"

> BTW, "COI DO" == "COI DO'U" in effect, but is one syllable shorter.

Yes, I just feel that using the second person pronoun in vocatives
is too abrupt. Natlang interference probably.

mu'o mi'e xorxes

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