Posted by Kazper at 1:22pm Feb 7 '08At the same time...
x1 on x2, x2 under x1
x1 around x2, x2 in x1
x1 surround x2, x2 [surrounded by] x1
x1 over x2, x2 [under] x1
x1 and x2 [betwoon] x3, x3 between x2 and x1
At the same time...
x1 not on x2 and x2 not under x1, x1 off x2 and x2 [not under] x1
x1 not around x2 and x2 not in x1, x1 [not around] x2 and x2 out x1
x1 not surround x2 and x2 not [surrounded by] x1, x1 [not surround] x2 and x2 [not surrounded by] x1
x1 not over x2 and x2 not [under] x1, x1 [not over] x2 and x2 [not under] x1
x1 and x2 not [betwoon] x3 and x3 not between x2 and x1, x1 and x2 [not betwoon] x3 and x3 [not between] x2 and x1
For my language I decided to fill in the places. So I have distinct words for all 20 places. Not sure they'll all be actively used though.
I think the way the prepositions: ahead, behind, above, below, [right] and [left] are determined and used in English (if they aren't it's how they will be determined and used in my language) is as if you imagine a cube in front of you. The side facing away from you is "ahead" and the side facing you is "behind". The side that's in the direction of your head or top is "above" and the side facing in the direction of your feet or bottom is "below". The side on your right is "[right]" and the side on your left is "[left]". This means, if "up" is the direction of gravity and "down" is the direction opposite direction of gravity, that if your head is down and you say "x1 above x2" x1 is down. I don't see these prepositions being used often to direct the attention of another since the other would have to be aware of the conveyer's position and orientation and be able to see from their (the conveyer's) perspective. What I see being used more often to direct another are the side words: front, back, top, bottom, [right] and [left]. If x1 is ahead x2 from the perspective of x3 but x2 doesn't know x3's position and orientation and is also facing left from the perspective of x3 then it would be much easier for x3 to say "x1 is off right of x2. ("off" should problably be more common than "on". Both are used though, depending on the reality of the situation).
If a conveyer said "x1 ahead x2 and off right of x2" if you knew how to locate the sides of x2 you'd be able to determine the conveyer's position relative to x2 when they said it. If they only said "x1 off right of x2" they could've been anywhere when they said it.
If you have to explain everything before you can do anything... then it's unlikely that you're gonna do anything.
To help you to just do it how they do it when learning another language just remember that you're just gonna be doing it how you do it in yours.
An earth day is one complete rotation of earth about its axis but it can also be a measure of time since time is associated with that complete rotation. So, if x1 asks x2 what time x1 wants to meet, x1 could say a day from now. "Day" is functioning as a unit of time.
The events "x1 starts/stops" should have a very short duration. So short I think that it matters not if you say "x1 ahead or behind..." since the time difference between the two should be extremely small. If "minute tenth of past x1 was in the middle of x1 start", then really "minute tenth of past x1 was also ahead or behind". Not the case in events like "x1 run" and "x1 hair red". The first event could have a duration of hours and the second a duration of years... (all this stuff is still hard to see fast).
If it's in the past it's done. If it's in the future it hasn't begun.
Study languages if only to take from them what you like.
~Shawn Savoie~
~Ottawa, Ontario, Canada~
x1 on x2, x2 under x1
x1 around x2, x2 in x1
x1 surround x2, x2 [surrounded by] x1
x1 over x2, x2 [under] x1
x1 and x2 [betwoon] x3, x3 between x2 and x1
At the same time...
x1 not on x2 and x2 not under x1, x1 off x2 and x2 [not under] x1
x1 not around x2 and x2 not in x1, x1 [not around] x2 and x2 out x1
x1 not surround x2 and x2 not [surrounded by] x1, x1 [not surround] x2 and x2 [not surrounded by] x1
x1 not over x2 and x2 not [under] x1, x1 [not over] x2 and x2 [not under] x1
x1 and x2 not [betwoon] x3 and x3 not between x2 and x1, x1 and x2 [not betwoon] x3 and x3 [not between] x2 and x1
For my language I decided to fill in the places. So I have distinct words for all 20 places. Not sure they'll all be actively used though.
I think the way the prepositions: ahead, behind, above, below, [right] and [left] are determined and used in English (if they aren't it's how they will be determined and used in my language) is as if you imagine a cube in front of you. The side facing away from you is "ahead" and the side facing you is "behind". The side that's in the direction of your head or top is "above" and the side facing in the direction of your feet or bottom is "below". The side on your right is "[right]" and the side on your left is "[left]". This means, if "up" is the direction of gravity and "down" is the direction opposite direction of gravity, that if your head is down and you say "x1 above x2" x1 is down. I don't see these prepositions being used often to direct the attention of another since the other would have to be aware of the conveyer's position and orientation and be able to see from their (the conveyer's) perspective. What I see being used more often to direct another are the side words: front, back, top, bottom, [right] and [left]. If x1 is ahead x2 from the perspective of x3 but x2 doesn't know x3's position and orientation and is also facing left from the perspective of x3 then it would be much easier for x3 to say "x1 is off right of x2. ("off" should problably be more common than "on". Both are used though, depending on the reality of the situation).
If a conveyer said "x1 ahead x2 and off right of x2" if you knew how to locate the sides of x2 you'd be able to determine the conveyer's position relative to x2 when they said it. If they only said "x1 off right of x2" they could've been anywhere when they said it.
If you have to explain everything before you can do anything... then it's unlikely that you're gonna do anything.
To help you to just do it how they do it when learning another language just remember that you're just gonna be doing it how you do it in yours.
An earth day is one complete rotation of earth about its axis but it can also be a measure of time since time is associated with that complete rotation. So, if x1 asks x2 what time x1 wants to meet, x1 could say a day from now. "Day" is functioning as a unit of time.
The events "x1 starts/stops" should have a very short duration. So short I think that it matters not if you say "x1 ahead or behind..." since the time difference between the two should be extremely small. If "minute tenth of past x1 was in the middle of x1 start", then really "minute tenth of past x1 was also ahead or behind". Not the case in events like "x1 run" and "x1 hair red". The first event could have a duration of hours and the second a duration of years... (all this stuff is still hard to see fast).
If it's in the past it's done. If it's in the future it hasn't begun.
Study languages if only to take from them what you like.
~Shawn Savoie~
~Ottawa, Ontario, Canada~