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Archiver > GENEALOGY-DNA > 2009-07 > 1248269749


From: "Lawrence Mayka" <>
Subject: Re: [DNA] Who killed the men of England?
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2009 08:35:49 -0500
In-Reply-To: <OFF4E67A4B.6FF4C317-ONCA2575FB.003CA3D8-CA2575FB.00470291@www.themeda.net>


1) The continuous/progessive aspect exists to some extent in Dutch and in
the Rhineland dialect of German:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuous_and_progressive_aspects

2) English does indeed have the external possessor construction, but then
gives the other object a preposition--e.g., "He poked me in the eye" means
"He poked my eye." English generally avoids giving a verb two
non-prepositional objects because it lacks the noun/article declension to
clearly distinguish them.

> [mailto:] On Behalf Of
>
> "So I will only mention that dozens of Celtic features have been
> identified in English, that which has been most discussed
> being the early
> rise of the progressive aspect, the difference between Peter
> works and
> Peter is working, which no other Germanic language has
> developed as early
> and as thoroughly as English and which is formally and
> functionally the
> same as in Welsh - and which, incidentally, is one of the
> hardest part of
> English grammar for Germans to master. I would like to
> illustrate only one
> feature which is among the most astounding differences." He
> talks about an
> external possessor case which he says is impossible in
> English.

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