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First line of Adverbs and Stative verbs #1
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Reference: WycliffeAssociates/en_gwt#1
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I couldn't see how "describes" fits in the first and last lines of this entry.
G2309 (θέλω/thelō)
This word describes a situation or how something is. It is a verb. However, it is not an action.
This word can mean to will, want, or be willing to do something.
This word can mean to wish for something or desire something.
This word can mean like something or to take pleasure in something.
Advice to translators: This type of verb describes a state of being
But I found that it's exactly like this example from the Style Guide.
G0433 (ἀνήκω/anēkō)
This word describes a situation or how something is. It is a verb. However, it is not an action.
This word means to be appropriate or right. It means that a situation is the way it should be.
See: Ephesians 5:4; Colossians 3:18; Philemon 1:8
Advice to translators: This type of verb describes a state of being.
Then I looked at something similar on the Style Guide.
G0495 (ἀντιπέρα/antipera)
This word is used to describe a state of being. It is an adverb.
This word means on the opposite side.
Advice to translators: A state of being describes a situation or how something is.
I find the first lines so much alike that I can't really tell them apart. I can sort of understand what each means when I read what part of speech it is and think about the definition, but the first line doesn't help me to understand the part of speech or the definition. I wonder if there might be a way that we can make these clearer and more distinct - both the first line and the Advice to translators.
I'm putting this here because I don't want to ask for changes while we're halfway through the work. Perhaps we could consider this after everything has been moved from GoogleDrive to this repo.
If the sentence explains the part of speech, maybe it would be good to set up the first line something like what I wrote under each of these word classes.
I am running into an issue in that almost all definitions of stative verbs use the term “describe.”
AS I understand it, if we can improve the meaning, here are the things to change:
Change: “describe” because it does not really "describe" something
Although I would say it does do this, it describes the state of the subject
Add: "Does not change” as an important aspect of meaning
What about (brainstorming):
(1)
This word is a state. It is a verb. However, it is not an action.
Advice to translators: A state is what something is like. It does not change.
I do not think this helps.
(2)
This word says something about a situation or how something is. It is a verb. However, it is not an action.
Advice to translators: This type of verb describes a state of being.
I think this misses the mark is some way.
(3)
This word makes something known about a situation or how something is. It is a verb. However, it is not an action.
Advice to translators: This type of verb is a state of being.
Number 3 is my favorite. However, does it really do this.
Other thoughts phrasings that I found interesting and potentially helpful:
Stative verbs describe something that cannot be started or finished.
This word is something that cannot be started or finished. It is a verb. However, it is not an action(?)
Note: All languages have Stative verbs. In fact of Wierzbicka's list of semantic primes, there are more stative verbs than action verbs.I think this is because they are more irreducible even though they are less concrete.
I like "This word says something about" better than "This word is."
I think "This word makes something known about" is more complicated than necessary.
I don't think "However it is not an action" is needed if the first sentence says this "This word is a state" or "This word makes something known about a situation or how something is." We would only need to correct the assumption that all verbs are actions if we can expect our users to have that assumption.
The phrase "It does not change" could sound like it means that the state continues forever. How about "It does not cause a change"? The state can start, increase, decrease, or stop.