Hello, I've read the short L20n tutorial "L20n by example":
http://l20n.org/learn out of curiosity and have two questions to the use of plural macros: 1st question: In chapter 11 of the tutorial, last paragraph, last sentence: http://l20n.org/learn/plural-forms-introduction-to-macros/ you write: "Notice that we're defining a two-value index: first we choose the plural variant, then we look at the gender and choose the final translation based on that." It isn't about noun plural here but about the plural of a special verbal form, the so-called ł-form which is used to build compund verbal forms, especially compound tenses. In Upper and Lower Sorbian you have three numbers: singular, dual and plural. In singular, there are three genders: masculine, feminine and neuter. In dual and plural there is no difference between genders but there is a special category inside of the masculine gender: the masculine personality. Forms of masculine personality are used related to subjects of sentences that denote male persons. Male personality exists in Upper Sorbian only, not in Lower Sorbian. The ł-form of, for instance, the verb pić "drink" is: one: masculine: pił feminine: piła neuter: piło two: piłoj few: pili piłe many/other: piło Following issue: You see that there are two forms for few: But they don't differ by gender but by personality resp. impersonality. In modern Upper Sorbian the standard form is "pili" - it has been originally used for male persons only, for all other subjects, so masculine objects, male animals, feminine and neuter nouns the form piłe was used. The latter form is becoming obsolete but can be optionally used. But nevertheless: Is it possible to distinguish personality/impoersonality instead of gender in l20n? I saw that there is a value "unknown" for gender. Can this value be "abused" to express personality? 2nd question: It is about personality as well. With nouns, personality/impersonality exists as well: Personal forms exist for male persons in nominative and accusative dual and plural only. Besides there is the category animacy resp. animated gender - animated subjects have the ending of the genitive in accusative, inanimated subjects the ending of the nominative. Animated gender exists in singular only. Examples: Male personality - nan "father" singular: nominative: nan genitive: nana accusative: nana dual: nominative: nanaj genitive: nanow accusative nanow plural: nominative: nanojo (= -ojo is a special ending for male persons) genitive: nanow accusative: nanow Animated - law "lion": singular: nominative: law genitive: lawa accusative: lawa dual: nominative: lawaj genitive: lawow accusative: lawaj plural: nominative: lawy genitive: lawow accusative: lawy Inanimated - dub "oak" singular: nominative: dub genitive: duba accusative: dub dual: nominative: dubaj genitive: dubow accusative: dubaj plural: nominative: duby genitive: dubow accussative: duby How can these two categories be treated in l20n? I hope you are not too confused now. :-) thanks and kind regards, Michael _______________________________________________ tools-l10n mailing list [email protected] https://lists.mozilla.org/listinfo/tools-l10n
