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Re: Zaik! (Hi there!) - Description of Lyanjen

From:Matt McLauchlin <matt_mcl@...>
Date:Tuesday, August 29, 2000, 22:27
>> I'm a linguistics major (just finished my first year) at McGill
University
>> in Montreal. > > Do you know Jayne Kennedy?
Actually, I do! She was in my sociolinguistics class. We studied for finals together.
> What is the meaning of "tau" when applied to more than two conjuncts? >Is "A tau B tau C" equivalent to "(A tau B) tau C", in which case it would >mean "an odd number of A, B, or C"? How are ambiguous nestings of >conjunctions handled?
A aut (B aut C) = A tau ca, ni B aut C. ("A or this, that B or C.") A aut B aut C (only one of the options) = A, B, aut C. E.G. Ia ebnuu, na lyosau, aut le kalau. (I will come, you will run, or she will visit. Only one of those three things will occur.) Ia ebnuu aut ca, ni na lyosau aut le kalau. (I will come, otherwise either you will run or she will visit.) ...but I must admit, I'm not quite sure of the difference.
>Does "A ju B le C" mean "(A ju B) le C" or "A ju (B le C)", or [context?]
The latter, usually, or they can say: (A ju B) le C = C le ca, ni A ju B. A ju (B le C) = A ju ca, ni B le C.