Íslenskt mál og almenn málfræði - 13.07.1981, Blaðsíða 61

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The case government of the Faroese preposition fyri
examples in which something is uttered or done in the presence of (i.e.
before) an animate being (occasionally an inanimate object), once pre-
sumably with the implication, now with the additional sense that what
is uttered or done is addressed to or directed at that animate being (or
object). This latter sense does not lead to confusion with the Target
examples of 3.8 since in those there is no question of the Agent’s being
in the presence of the intended recipient. That is the crucial distinction.
Occasionally we find examples in which there is no physical presence;
something is uttered or done in honour of an animate being (or inani-
mate object) who (which) can be considered present in spirit or in the
mind(s) of the Agent(s) (cf. 137-8). Examples of this category are:
(132) Hann segði einaferð fyri Niklasi, at. . .
(133) Latið oklcum nú syngja ein sálm fyri brúðarparinum
(134) tú skuldi heldur lisið hetta bræv fyri mær hin sorgardagin
(135) vildi hann skora sín vilja ígjpgnum, kundi hann sleiskast og
smikra fyri lágum sum hpgum
(136) letur hurðina upp fyri Aðalhjálmi (stage direction)
(137) eg eri til dpmis altíð til reiðar -0m- at t0ma eina skál fyri f0ði-
landinum
(138) Minningarhaldið fyri Ólavi halga varð spilt
In some Presence examples the context is such that fyri can or must
imply that it is the result of what is done that is in the presence of what-
ever is denoted by the following dative noun phrase. Cf.:
(139) uttan so at tað fyri amtmanninum var klárliga víst, at eingin
annar útvegur var ...
(140) Onki var so lætt sum at prógva fyri týska fólkinum at . . .
(141) Tá ið hon hevði borðreitt fyri mær ...
(142) Yvirvaldið ger veitslu fyri hesum ráru gestum
In (142) we have the altemative or perhaps additional interpretation
‘in honour of’ (cf. above). In one example in my material which I would
include in this category there is no utterance or other action, but a verb
of sensation. However, the meaning seems to be ‘in the presence of’ and
‘for’:
(143) eg kendi meg sum skriftafaðir fyri einari sorgarbundnari, iðr-
anarfullari sál