----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, September 07, 2002 10:17 PM Subject: Re: [OT] Spanish grammar (was Re: [q] Typesetting rules in Spanish)
> 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 Qu�bec whereby (e.g.) > Jacques > >> can knock on the door and say to Yves who answered, "Michelle est-tu > l�?" > Ah, but it's not a personal pronoun (note "est-tu" not "es-tu" -- though > the spelling is my analysis; I've never seen it written). This is also found in standard French, but in a very familiar or regional register : Familiar : I' dit �a. He says that. Regional (use to caricature peasants) : V'l� t'i pas la Marie !? Isn't this Mary (coming) !? Word for word : There is <euphonic t> (see �a-t-il�) not the Mary (adding � the � to a given name is regional or more friendly). The � i � is simply the old (and regional) pronounciation of the impersonal pronoun � il � (there/it). Modern French has a tendency to pronounce some of the consonants that have been silent for very long (persi(l), dom(p)teur, scul(p)teur, I even heard last week sourci(l), found it strange). This is common phenomenon in many languages and may be linked to more widespread alphabetisation. In the case of � il �, the � l � was absent in the Classical age (the plural form � ils ont � was pronounced among the elite of the XVIIth century �izon�), the school system spread the current pronouciation � ilzon �. So the Quebec � tu � � (frowned upon) is simply a variant of the familiar and common � ti � (t-i') interrogative particle used even in France. > 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?" Yes. Le lait est-tu froid ? Le lait est-i' froid ? Le lait est-il froid ? P. A.
