There be

Temat przeniesiony do archwium.
Czy moglibyście wytłumaczyć co to za konstrukcja, proszę?

The Infantas are embroidering a muslin robe with open-work sprigs for her Majesty the Queen; the work progresses in the most profound secrecy. There be but two more breadths to finish. A decree has gone forth that no wall shall be built on the side of Verteuil, but that a hedge shall be planted instead thereof.
w oryginale tam jest literalnie "nie ma wiecej niz ..."
moze there be bylo najlepszym tlumaczeniem tego w zgodzie z jezykiem XIX
Dziękuję.
Cytat: labtes
Czy moglibyście wytłumaczyć co to za konstrukcja, proszę?

There be but two ....[/i]

It can be classified as the present subjunctive (formulaic) used with the existential 'there'
as a grammatical subject with 'breadths' being a notional subject here
(not to confuse with an introductory adverb 'there', our 'there' here is lacking stress).
It's rather formal and archaic in style but still very much alive in legal English.

Or, given that this stuff comes from some dusty virtual attic and it's definitely older than my tabby's piss in the snow (just in case, this is my saying, all rights reserved:), it may just as well be a Middle English Chaucer's way of using 'be' instead of 'are', as the plural of the third person present indicative.
it's not the subjunctive
And you know that how?
edytowany przez savagerhino: 26 gru 2014
I read that fragment of the text and couldn't find it
Maybe you should've used your two hands and a flashlight :) to look for 'the requisite semantic condition" for the subjunctive mood to occur like..some demand or intention, resolution or even recommendation ..which is actually further indicated contextually by the phrase 'but that a hedge shall be planted instead thereof".
edytowany przez savagerhino: 26 gru 2014
ok ok, ale po polsku to sie nazywa tryb łaczacy i nie wiem co tutaj się z tym łączy
skłaniałbym sie ku tej opcji:
Cytat: savagerhino
Or, given that this stuff comes from some dusty virtual attic and it's definitely older than my tabby's piss in the snow (just in case, this is my saying, all rights reserved:), it may just as well be a Middle English Chaucer's way of using 'be' instead of 'are', as the plural of the third person present indicative.
edytowany przez zielonosiwy: 26 gru 2014
Fair enough. We can keep splitting hairs on how we categorize this fossilized construction until Kingdom come.
For lack of a better term, you can just call it an archaic plural, for all I care:)
(keeping in mind that it's an old quirky alternative for the 3rd person present indicative plural form of the verb "to be')
edytowany przez savagerhino: 26 gru 2014
No i z takiej dyskusji można nauczyć się najwięcej :). Dziękuję.
Temat przeniesiony do archwium.

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