• Dutch
  • Frisian
  • Saterfrisian
  • Afrikaans
Show all
Replacement of goal PP nei ta to to with hinne to
quickinfo

The presence of R-pronouns triggers the replacement of the goal Adposition Phrase (PP) built on the basic of the preposition nei to and the postposition ta to with the adposition hinne to.

readmore

A locative goal can be expressed in the postpositional phrase formed with the preposition nei to and the postposition ta to. An example is provided below:

1
Hja giene mei har klachten nei him ta
they went with their complaints to him to
They took their complaints to him

However, if the prepositional complement is an R-pronoun, then the combination of preposition and postposition is almost always replaced with a different adposition altogether: hinne to. This postposition is rarely found on its own; it occurs almost always in the company of an R-pronoun. An example is given below:

2
Wêr giene se mei har klachten hinne?
what.R went they with their complaints to
Where did they take their complaints?

However, the Frisian Language Corpus contains 10 instances of the sequence der nei ta to it, there. In all these examples except one, the sequence der nei ta can be replaced with the more common sequence der hinne. The exception involves a metaphoric, somewhat idiomatic use of the sequence:

3
a. Wat ite, drinke en genietsje. It is al in wille, om der nei ta te libjen
what eat, drink and enjoy it is DcP a joy for R.it to to to live
To eat and drink, to enjoy. It is already a pleasure to look forward to it
b. *Wat ite, drinke en genietsje. It is al in wille, om der hinne te libjen
what eat, drink and enjoy it is DcP a joy for R.it to to live
To eat and drink, to enjoy. It is already a pleasure to look forward to it

The phrase derhinne may itself be part of an idiom as well. In the following examples, no specific goal is involved:

4
a. Hy soalt it ark derhinne
he throws the tools it.R.to
He throws down the tools
b. Gjinien begrypt hoe faai as de seediken derhinne lizze
no.one understands how dangerous COMP the sea.dykes it.R.to lie
No one understands how dangerous the condition of the sea dykes is
References
    printreport errorcite