Monday, November 12, 2012

Short sketch #3: Dummy objects

Imagine a language where verbs are made more 'intensive' by adding an object of some kind.

Giving glosses, where "dummy" stands for "some dummy of some kind"
hear.2pl   = we (do) hear 
hear.2pl   it.acc = we listen 
hear.2pl   dummy.acc = (thisnoise is annoying us

However, when introducing a real semantic object, this language does not permit the dummy to be the same case as the real object, and demotes it to some other case:
*hear.2pl throbbing gristle.acc dummy*.acc   ----> hear.2pl throbbing gristle.acc dummy.dat 
The same process repeats when an indirect object is added, etc. Different dummy cases have different hierarchies and will be demoted along different paths.

Sometimes, a dummy is repeated in different spots to increase the intensity:

rain.3.sg.  =  it rains
rain.3.sg it.acc = lit. "it rains it", ~it rains intensely
rain.3.sg it.acc it.instr = lit "it rains it with it", ~it's pouring down
rain.3.sg it.acc it.instr it.comitative = it rains it with it and it too, ~this rivals the deluge.
it.nom rain.3.sg. it.acc = the subject dummy probably works to make the rain somewhat more specific, such as "right now, right here, it rains intensely". In combination with a previously established location or timeframe or both being somewhat topical, it would be more likely to pertain to that location or time or both.

As for describing persons, adding such objects could be used both for positive or negative effects:
play (pertaining to instrument).3sg dummy.acc = he/she plays (his/her instrument) intensely well.
 give.3.sg dummy1.dat = put out
give.3sg dummy2.dat = he/she is slutty; the verb is only interpreted as referring to sex when with a dummy dative.

These dummies originate as nouns, often specifically differently strong profanities. This idea occured to me after I heard my brother use "satan" - a common Swedish curse word - as an intensifying particle after 'basa' (to emit bass tones), as in "an basar satan" to describe the volume of the bass sound emitting from an amplifier and its speakers.

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