Test Sentences, 31

Continuing with Gary’s list:

  1. Can your brother dance well?

Another question. There is no verb “dance”, but there is a class IV noun gyadad for the event or action of dancing. And if you are doing an activity, the activity is a location. But the question isn’t asking if your brother is dancing, but whether your brother can dance well. So the activity is treated like a mental or physical state, and is co-subject with “your brother” using a verb of stance. The adjective “well” is then put in the destination slot.

53. kaɬa gyadadnɛn sɛdɛ ge dɛmɛ?

kaɬa
brother.MTsg
gyadad
dancing.SSsg
=nɛn
with
sɛdɛ
sɛdɛ.IMP
ge
well.MTsg
dɛmɛ
DUB

(Your) brother stands with dancing well?

In Kēlen:

53. ñamma anjāri anhēi ā makāe kēñ;

ñ-
NI
amma
3SG
anjāri
dance
anhēi
good
ā
A
makāe
sib of oppo gender
kēñ
Q

Questions?