agentpigeon
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I have a question regarding ASL grammar.
In English, there is such a thing as "obscured subject" (my own term). This is where one would say "It was punished," instead of the more concrete "He/she punished it." Another example would be "The orange was smelled" versus "He smelled the orange."
How does one interpret this, assuming no knowledge of who is performing the action (who punished, who smelled)? A translation such as "It punish" would mean "It punished," and "Orange smell" would mean "The orange smelled." Neither has the original meaning. How does one overcome this?
In English, there is such a thing as "obscured subject" (my own term). This is where one would say "It was punished," instead of the more concrete "He/she punished it." Another example would be "The orange was smelled" versus "He smelled the orange."
How does one interpret this, assuming no knowledge of who is performing the action (who punished, who smelled)? A translation such as "It punish" would mean "It punished," and "Orange smell" would mean "The orange smelled." Neither has the original meaning. How does one overcome this?