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From: deb5@ellis.uchicago.edu (Daniel von Brighoff)
Subject: Re: Greek nai
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References: <rharmsen.1174.000E6818@knoware.nl> <4j9k10$29p@neptunus.pi.net> <4jc0o7$14sq@watnews2.watson.ibm.com> <rharmsen.1196.00174445@knoware.nl>
Date: Fri, 5 Apr 1996 05:24:38 GMT
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In article <rharmsen.1196.00174445@knoware.nl>,
Ruud Harmsen <rharmsen@knoware.nl> wrote:

>BTW. Some languages DON'T have words for yes and no, Welsh is one I believe.

Well, yes and no.  It would be more accurate to say that Welsh has no
single pair of words that invariably translate "yes" and "no".  The normal 
way to answer a yes-or-no question in the language is by repeating the verb.
Thus:

Ydy e newydd fynd?	Ydy!		Na(g ydy)!
Has he just gone?	He has.		(He has) not.

Wyt ti'n barod?		(Y)dw!		Na(g ydw).
Are you ready?		I am		(I'm) not.

The only cases where the replies are invariable regardless of tense are
the preterite (Do/Naddo) and in sentences beginning with a non-verbal
element [Welsh is a VSO language].  E.g.:

Chi sy (we)di neud hyn?	Ie!		Nage!
*You* did this?		Yes!		No!

So Welsh has words for "yes" and "no"; it just has an awful lot of
them!

P.S.:  Ist es wahr, dass einigen Sprachen ein Wort fuer "Doch!" fehlt?
-- 
	 Daniel "Da" von Brighoff    /\          Dilettanten
	(deb5@midway.uchicago.edu)  /__\         erhebt Euch
				   /____\      gegen die Kunst!
