Re: Got to thinkin' about word order

Well. If you say:

Hän purkaa autoa - the translation would be: He is dismantling a/the
car part by part, or he is performing the process of dimatling the/a
car.

Actually the meaning is that the action is performed at the several
parts after each other,or that the speaker is focusing upon the
action as a process.

Hän purkaa auton means - he dismatles a/the car all at one time.
Actually the meaning of the article is not at all expressed by the
partitive.

I dont`think the pure partitive in these cases expresses "a car out
of all possible", but partitive can be used to express that notion in
combination with other words, f. eks: Hän purkaa eräätä autojansa -
he dismantles one of his cars.

The meaning definitness or indefiniteness is expressed in other ways.

-If you have not talked about a car in the conversation or there is
not a car present that is clearly indicated - auto/autoa is regarded
as indefinite.

-If a car has been talked about before or is clearly seen or
indicated in some way - auto/autoa is regarded as definite.

-If neccesary definiteness or indefiniteness can be expressed by
words as -sama -same, toinen - another, ensimmäinen - the first,
eräs - a/or some(one)

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Peter P" <no1@...> wrote:
> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "aquila_grande"
<aquila_grande@...>
> wrote:
> > Hän ajoi autoa means either: He was driving a car, or he was
> driving
> > the car, or he was driving a part of the car.
> >
>
>
> My first choice in translations for this would not be - He was
> driving a (or the) part of the car.
>
> However if we use a different verb such as 'purkaa' dismantles, we
> can have;
> He dismantles a car, he dismantles the car, he dismantles a part of
> the car, he dismantles the part of the car, or he dismantles some
of
> the car.
>
> In this case we do not know exactly why 'autoa' a/the/some/part of
> the car, is in the partitive case. It could be one car of a larger
> collection of all the cars, or it could be the collection which
> comprises all the parts that are being dismantled.
>
> Translating from Finnish without articles to English with, allows
> some choices, especially if there is no previous or further content
> to guide us.
>
> Were I to translate - I drive (am driving) a car. I would say -
Ajan
> autoa.
> To me 'a car' means one undefined car of many, almost in the same
way
> as 'autoa' (sing partitive) means one of the collection of all
> possible cars. It is true that if we had somehow previouly defined
> the car then it could be 'the car', out of the collection of all
> possible cars.
>
> Peter