On 09/07/2002 09:38:31 AM John Cowan wrote:
>> It's completely different, but I'm reminded of the yes-no question
>> construction used in at least some parts of Québec whereby (e.g.)
Jacques
>> can knock on the door and say to Yves who answered, "Michelle est-tu
là?"
>
>Sounds totally familiar to me. Even if A answers, saying "B, are you
there?"
>seems quite a rational thing to do, talking not to A but past him, as it
were.
Ah, but it's not a personal pronoun (note "est-tu" not "es-tu" -- though
the spelling is my anaylsys; I've never seen it written). To take another
example, if I understand the usage (from the explanation I got after
inquiring when I heard it in use), I think one ought to be able to ask
something like "Le lait est-tu froid?" (Again, prediction based on an
assumed analysis -- I've never heard that particular utterance from a
native speaker.)
- Peter
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Peter Constable
Non-Roman Script Initiative, SIL International
7500 W. Camp Wisdom Rd., Dallas, TX 75236, USA
Tel: +1 972 708 7485
E-mail: <peter_constable@sil.org>
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