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Bonan Paskon

by FoxtrotUniform, March 27, 2016

Messages: 11

Language: English

FoxtrotUniform (User's profile) March 27, 2016, 12:07:48 PM

Bonan Paskon!

Which brings me another newbie question.

Why are greetings and exclamations in the accusative: Saluton, Bonan tagon! Felicxan Naskotagon!

I guess it could be short for a missing imperative "Havu bonan tagon". But I don't get why Saluton would be in the accusative.

I guess I don't really need to understand the why. When I was taking Spanish I didn't wonder why adjectives come after the noun.

erinja (User's profile) March 27, 2016, 1:10:55 PM

Saluti means to greet, so a "saluto" is a greeting. The word is certainly used in the simple meaning of a greeting, you could definitely say "Ŝi sendis al ni salutojn de la loka klubo" (She sent us greetings of the local club).

I have always thought of the case of Saluton being a complete sentence like "[Mi donas al vi] Saluton"

Alkanadi (User's profile) March 27, 2016, 2:43:00 PM

It is short. Instead of saying Have a good Easter or I wish you a good Easter, you are just saying good Easter.

Easter is the object of the sentence rather than the subject.

Mi volas, ke vi havu bonan paskon.

Vestitor (User's profile) March 27, 2016, 6:35:54 PM

Aren't all such greetings and wishes also in the accusative in English? Apart form when they are incorporated into a personalised sentence:

Happy Easter! (Christmas/New Year/Birthday...whatever day).
Good luck!
Feel better! (strange American expression)
(Have a) good evening!
(Have a) nice holiday!

robbkvasnak (User's profile) March 27, 2016, 7:48:20 PM

For me, the British have one of the weirdest expressions: "cheerio!" - For us that might mean: have some cereal for breakfast! hahaha

Miland (User's profile) March 27, 2016, 9:08:19 PM

robbkvasnak:For me, the British have one of the weirdest expressions: "cheerio!" - For us that might mean: have some cereal for breakfast! hahaha
As a primary school kid I first heard it used in Scotland for "goodbye" (I believe a nurse said it to me at the end of my visit). I just came across an internet comment from a Fionna Grant of Dunedin, New Zealand that offers a possible explanation:
"The Scottish Gaelic word tioraidh (pronounced like "cheery" ), means goodbye (informal), and I wondered if cheery- bye, cheerio etc were Anglicised versions."

Vestitor (User's profile) March 27, 2016, 9:31:55 PM

Cheer (and the derivative cheerio) apparently comes from Old French Chiere, Late Latin Cara and Greek Kara all meaning 'face' and later an expression of how you feel as seen in the face. So 'good cheer' and a 'cheery disposition' as seen in the countenance of the person.

The practice of adding -o to words like this, as in 'deario' which you used to hear in Northern England and places like the West Country, probably accounts for Cheerio. A diminutive way to say 'good cheer to you'.

Alkanadi (User's profile) March 28, 2016, 6:08:50 AM

robbkvasnak:For me, the British have one of the weirdest expressions: "cheerio!" - For us that might mean: have some cereal for breakfast! hahaha
Off topic. Don't ask a British person if they like your pants.

randalljking (User's profile) March 30, 2016, 4:57:45 PM

Alkanadi:It is short. Instead of saying Have a good Easter or I wish you a good Easter, you are just saying good Easter.

Easter is the object of the sentence rather than the subject.

Mi volas, ke vi havu bonan paskon.

randalljking (User's profile) March 30, 2016, 4:59:19 PM

Alkanadi:It is short. Instead of saying Have a good Easter or I wish you a good Easter, you are just saying good Easter.

Easter is the object of the sentence rather than the subject.

Mi volas, ke vi havu bonan paskon.
Why would it not be 'Mi donas al vin saluton'?

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