Íslenskt mál og almenn málfræði - 13.07.1981, Side 57

The case government of the Faroese preposition fyri 53
(103) Henda leiðin . .. henda ferðin f0rdi hann stað úr staði, dag
fyri dag, stig fyri stig nærri og nærri til Golgata
(104) Báturin f0rdi nú farm fyri farm av innbúgv og aðrari útgerð
til B0vu
3.13 Summary of the fyri + acc. phrases
It is not by chance that Motion heads the twelve jyri + acc. cate-
gories. It is arguable that the denoting of some form of motion is a
factor common to many of them. The Path and Motion categories over-
lap to a certain extent, in that movement past an object also (at some
point) necessitates movement to a position in front of it. This accounts
for the ambiguity or double meaning of (22-3) and probably also ex-
plains the origin of phrases like fyri horð. The Substitutive, Causative
and, to the extent that they are an offspring of the latter, the Concessive
phrases also denote motion, though on a more abstract level. When a
person or a thing is substituted for another, he, she or it is moved in an
abstract sense into the position the latter might, could, should, would
etc. have occupied. It can be seen as a two-way movement. Someone or
something moves out, creates a vacuum by not acting etc. (this move-
ment is only implied, not specified), and someone or something else
moves in, acts etc. in place of or on behalf of the former. Diagrammati-
cally the relation can be represented like this: , * . There is a con-
nection between the Substitutive and the Causative. Consider:
(105) enn eru kvittanir til, hann hevur givið fyri teir
The phrase fyri teir can be interpreted either ‘in place of’ or ‘in retum
for’ and thus ‘as a result of (having taken them)’. If we think of the
Causative phrases in these terms (a consequence in return for a cause)
we have a two-way movement similar to that in Substitutive phrases.
There is an action, process or state, and stemming from it and in retum
for it there is another action, process or state. To that extent the arrow
diagram above applies equally well to the causative relation.
I do not wish to press this interpretation too far since I realise that
many objections can be raised to it. I have, however, found it helpful
because it suggests that on an abstract level Motion, Path, Substitutive,
Causative and Concessive might be considered a single category. It is
also possible that the remaining two large fyri + acc. categories, Affec-
ted and Delimiting, could be seen as denoting a form of motion. There