Syntax
Syntax is basically the way that words are strung together in order to make some sense. Without the right syntax, you don't have a syntactically correct sentence. Every language has it. Adjectives must come before nouns; Subjects come before verbs, etc...
One of the things that I learned from localizing Firefox into Tagalog is that some of the books out there just don't cover complex sentences. I have a copy of Modern Tagalog: Grammatical Explanations and Exercises for Non-Native Speakers by Teresita V. Ramos and Resty M. Cena. It does a good job in covering various areas of Tagalog syntax. It also gets into topics such as apposition and sentence conjoining. But, the one thing that it seems to lack is translations of some of the sentences, especially when they talk about using Gerundives, or Pag- constructions. In adition, a section of how to modify verbs is not very well explained. For example, they say that only a set number of adjectives can modify verbs. I have found that not to be the case in some instances, but none that come to mind. One area that it doesn't cover can be exemplefied with a sentence similar to many that I've found in Firefox: Firefox has blocked this site from opening popups.
In this sentence there are two verbs and two subjects. The first verb and subject tandem affect the object and second subject, site by blocking it from doing something, opening popups. That is what's going on in a nutshell... I could get into the intricacies of this syntax, but 1) that would be too much to make my point because it would require a lot of linguistic jargon and 2) I've forgotten some of the terms and reasoning.
After asking around on the Net. I received a transalation that showed the syntax of the example sentence in Tagalog:
Hinadlangan ng Firefox na makabukas ang lugar na ito ng sumusulpot na bintana.1
Or,
Hinadlangang ng Firefox ang lugar na ito sa pagbukas ng sumusulpot na bintana.2
In sentence 1, the formula is:
VERB1 ng ACTOR1 na VERB2 ang ACTOR2
In sentence 2, the formula is:
VERB1 ng ACTOR1 ang GOAL/ACTOR2 na VERB2
According to my sources, sentence one is where the sense is that the site was stopped at that moment. But, in sentence 2, the Site was stopped and will no longer be able to try that again.
One of the things that I learned from localizing Firefox into Tagalog is that some of the books out there just don't cover complex sentences. I have a copy of Modern Tagalog: Grammatical Explanations and Exercises for Non-Native Speakers by Teresita V. Ramos and Resty M. Cena. It does a good job in covering various areas of Tagalog syntax. It also gets into topics such as apposition and sentence conjoining. But, the one thing that it seems to lack is translations of some of the sentences, especially when they talk about using Gerundives, or Pag- constructions. In adition, a section of how to modify verbs is not very well explained. For example, they say that only a set number of adjectives can modify verbs. I have found that not to be the case in some instances, but none that come to mind. One area that it doesn't cover can be exemplefied with a sentence similar to many that I've found in Firefox: Firefox has blocked this site from opening popups.
In this sentence there are two verbs and two subjects. The first verb and subject tandem affect the object and second subject, site by blocking it from doing something, opening popups. That is what's going on in a nutshell... I could get into the intricacies of this syntax, but 1) that would be too much to make my point because it would require a lot of linguistic jargon and 2) I've forgotten some of the terms and reasoning.
After asking around on the Net. I received a transalation that showed the syntax of the example sentence in Tagalog:
Hinadlangan ng Firefox na makabukas ang lugar na ito ng sumusulpot na bintana.1
Or,
Hinadlangang ng Firefox ang lugar na ito sa pagbukas ng sumusulpot na bintana.2
In sentence 1, the formula is:
VERB1 ng ACTOR1 na VERB2 ang ACTOR2
In sentence 2, the formula is:
VERB1 ng ACTOR1 ang GOAL/ACTOR2 na VERB2
According to my sources, sentence one is where the sense is that the site was stopped at that moment. But, in sentence 2, the Site was stopped and will no longer be able to try that again.
posted by Joseph Maza at
6:27 PM
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