Ujumbe: 16
Lugha: English
richardhall (Wasifu wa mtumiaji) 12 Februari 2008 3:48:16 alasiri
"When the banner is unfurled, all reason is in the trumpet"
I'd be grateful for any thoughts...
mnlg (Wasifu wa mtumiaji) 12 Februari 2008 6:05:52 alasiri
Kiam flago etendiĝ[ad]as, trumpeto tenas racion.
A nice proverb, by the way. I like flags a lot, but I dislike their overuse.
richardhall (Wasifu wa mtumiaji) 12 Februari 2008 11:38:05 alasiri
If I pressed you, would you choose etendigxas or etendigxadas? And why, of course!
mnlg:Here's my attempt. Perhaps too literal, but you might use it as a start:
Kiam flago etendiĝ[ad]as, trumpeto tenas racion.
A nice proverb, by the way. I like flags a lot, but I dislike their overuse.
mnlg (Wasifu wa mtumiaji) 13 Februari 2008 12:23:49 asubuhi
richardhall:Thanks for that. I like the way you've approached it.Thank you!
If I pressed you, would you choose etendigxas or etendigxadas?Either.
And why, of course!Why not?
I would perhaps use the form in -adas. In its English version, the proverb is phrased in the passive ("is unfurled") but it strikes me as very active. It is not about the occasional flag flying by itself, but the conscious action of unfurling, i.e., the ubiquitous or frequent recourse to flags, that is seen as a potential source of concern. I still think there might very well be better ways to express that in Esperanto, but if I really had to keep to my first attempt, that's what I would do.
richardhall (Wasifu wa mtumiaji) 13 Februari 2008 12:05:56 alasiri
mnlg:I would perhaps use the form in -adas. In its English version, the proverb is phrased in the passive ("is unfurled") but it strikes me as very active. It is not about the occasional flag flying by itself, but the conscious action of unfurling, i.e., the ubiquitous or frequent recourse to flags, that is seen as a potential source of concern. I still think there might very well be better ways to express that in Esperanto, but if I really had to keep to my first attempt, that's what I would do.I suppose it must be possible to use 'unfurl' in the active voice in English, I don't think I've ever heard it used that way. (And I've never come across the verb "to furl" either, possibly because I move in the wrong circles
) Anyway, your reasoning for choosing the -ad- form was very clear and helpful. Thanks again. 
erinja (Wasifu wa mtumiaji) 13 Februari 2008 2:40:28 alasiri
richardhall (Wasifu wa mtumiaji) 13 Februari 2008 3:57:25 alasiri
erinja:I have only seen "furl" in the context of sailing, where people still talk about furling sails.
leonarde (Wasifu wa mtumiaji) 13 Februari 2008 9:34:03 alasiri
mnlg:The use of entendiĝi in this translation would seem reasonable based on its building blocks, but, put together, they apparently add up to something else. Based on the lernu.net dictionary, etendiĝi means "to run" or "to span," not "to become extended" or "to become stretched out" as we would expect it to. My question is, what does it mean to "run" or "span" in the context of this word, and what is the real way to say "unfurl"?
Kiam flago etendiĝ[ad]as, trumpeto tenas racion.
mnlg (Wasifu wa mtumiaji) 13 Februari 2008 9:42:53 alasiri
La maro etendiĝas ĝis la horizonto.
and I think it might reply to your question.
leonarde (Wasifu wa mtumiaji) 13 Februari 2008 10:21:35 alasiri
mnlg:This use seems to be more in line with "span" than "unfurl."
La maro etendiĝas ĝis la horizonto.
How does "malpakiĝi" (to become unpacked) work? Or maybe "malenpakiĝi" (to become unwrapped/unravelled/unpacked)? Do these suggested terms seem more or less accurage than "entendiĝi"?