Saturday, October 3, 2015

Detail #216: Really Abstract Outline

We're quite used to the notion of "converting" a verb into a noun so we can talk of it as an object. This is useful with regards to describing an action, or talking about its properties. "Navigare necesse est" and all that. However, what if the information in a language was structured in such a way that it made more sense to go the other way?

Certainly lots of languages permit forming verbs from nouns - especially verbs of turning into, making something into, or even being or acting like something. Also, many languages permit similar constructions for time spans and various types of spans (verbs derived from 'holiday' marking 'to spend ones holidays', etc). But that's not what I'm talking about.

I am thinking like turning nouns into verbs for the sake of getting them into the noun-aspect-mood spectrum, or even other similar spectra. Turning nouns into verbs for the sake of marking transitivity or voice things, habituality.

Something like "she father-habitual-passive" : she has daddy-issues.

That example doesn't quite do my idea justice, though. It needs a very much wider range of things wherein actual nominal referents are turned into verbs for a variety of reasons. This, again, is one of these ideas I've been having for years without ever coming up with exactly what the idea is, just a vague notion of in what direction it lies.

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