Negation: Difference between revisions

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=== Connectives ===
=== Connectives ===
[[File:bukiamaqruluemaq.png|300px|thumb|right|Kuna's parse tree.]]
Officially, {{t|rú}} is described as joining TPs, but what this actually boils down to is {{t|rú}} joins the highest phrase under a CP. In particular, {{t|rú}} scopes over negation: {{t|Bu kıa máq rú lue máq}} means "It's not red, and it ''is'' yellow."
 
Officially, {{t|rú}} is described as joining TPs, so {{t|Bu kıa máq lue máq}} means "It's false that [it's red and it's yellow]", i.e. it's neither red nor yellow.
 
[[Kuna]] currently has {{t|rú}} joining ΣPs, so that {{t|Bu kıa máq rú lue máq}} means "It's not red, and it ''is'' yellow."
 
<small>(TODO: resolve this? My intuition is lined up with pómı Kuna, and I'd repeat {{t|bu}} to say the other thing. But another option is to say that {{t|rú}} joins the smallest constituent on the right that's bigger than a verb, so {{t|bu kıa máq rú lue máq}} is vP-rú-vP and {{t|bu kıa máq rú <u>jeo</u> lue máq}} is how you achieve ΣP-rú-ΣP. [[User:Lynn|Lynn]] ([[User talk:Lynn|talk]]) 11:39, 30 March 2024 (UTC))</small>

Revision as of 23:08, 3 May 2024

In Toaq, negation is expressed with bu, which can come before tenses, aspects, or verbs.

Scope

Quantifiers

The scope interactions with quantifiers can be surprising. Remember that quantifiers "float up" to the top of the clause, above bu.

If we want to say "not all those who wander are lost", we might accidentally say:

Bunot tıeqbıaolost each neqkoıwanderer.
= Tú neqkoı nä, bu tıeqbıao néqkoı.

Each wanderer is non-lost. 😱

To get the right meaning, we have to instead say

Bu tıeqbıao sá neqkoı.
Some wanderers are non-lost.

Or we can use the verb sahu "to be false":

Sahu, ꝡä tıeqbıao tú neqkoı.
It's false that each wanderer is lost.

Tenses

Here is how bu interacts with quantifiers and tenses:

Mala bu chuq tú raı báq nam.
For each X: X has ever not-eaten bread.

Bu mala chuq tú raı báq nam.
For each X: X hasn't ever eaten bread.

Adverbs

bu scopes over adverbs, so you can't say Bu guaı nháo dûo sá joa to mean "he hasn't worked all week." Instead, this sentence means "it's false that he works for a week." See Adverbs are low.

Connectives

Officially, is described as joining TPs, but what this actually boils down to is joins the highest phrase under a CP. In particular, scopes over negation: Bu kıa máq rú lue máq means "It's not red, and it is yellow."