Newsgroups: sci.lang
From: philip@storcomp.demon.co.uk (Phil Hunt)
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news2.harvard.edu!news2.near.net!news.mathworks.com!news.duke.edu!convex!cs.utexas.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!news.sprintlink.net!peernews.demon.co.uk!storcomp.demon.co.uk!philip
Subject: Re: ka la .espon. na logji se jicmu (Re: One point against Esperanto)
References: <D5uq0q.GJ2@cogsci.ed.ac.uk> <D60Inp.s6@cix.compulink.co.uk> <D64E7D.I3A@cogsci.ed.ac.uk> <3l9g07$d6m@panix2.panix.com>
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Date: Wed, 29 Mar 1995 15:45:48 +0000
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In article <3l9g07$d6m@panix2.panix.com> rcpj@panix.com "Pierre Jelenc" writes:
> Esperanto has only roots and desinences (and it can be argued that those
> are roots as well). In an Esperanto word, the main root is always the
> rightmost one, and secondary roots are processed from right to left
> according to their meaning. Thus "neebla" is always and only [(negation
> of) ebla].  There is no possibility of ambiguous analysis from this point
> of view. 

This depends on what you mean by the "main root". Most people would argue
that in "patr-o", "patr" is more important - it certainly accounts for
more of the word's meaning - than "o".

Similarly, consider "tatu-ajx-o" = a tattoo. 
This is made up of:
   tatu-i = to tattoo
   ajx-o = a thing
   o = noun ending

Here I would argue that the leftmost morphemes add the most to the 
meaning.

-- 
Phil Hunt....philip@storcomp.demon.co.uk
