Re: [tied] Evening/Night (was Re: The "Mother" Problem)

From: Patrick Ryan
Message: 36432
Date: 2005-02-21

 
----- Original Message -----
From: Exu Yangi
Sent: Sunday, February 20, 2005 11:21 PM
Subject: RE: [tied] Evening/Night (was Re: The "Mother" Problem)



<snip>

IN quite a few IE languages (both living and dead) the genitive is used to
denote a time period during which actions occurs. English "I work days"
meaning "I work during the day".

 
This example is of the plural not of the genitive (possessive).
 
While genitives still mark periods of time during which something occurs in IE languages like German,: <tag_s_über>, 'all day long', this usage of the genitive is no longer available in standard English. In a rather stilted way, one might still saywith a periphrastic genitive: <I enjoy a glass of sherry of an evening> for <I enjoy a glass of sherry _some_ evenings>. <I enjoy a glass of  sherry evenings> means <I enjoy a glass of sherry _every_ evening>.
 
In the example above, one could expand it to: <I work 13 hours during the day> which changes the meaning of <day> from <daylight hours> to <24-hour period>.
 
 
Patrick