Re: How are these different ?


Ar an seachtú lá déag de mí Deireadh Fómhair, scríobh Colin Fine:

Again, an easy distinction: "tell" requires the indirect object, the
hearer, to be named, except as in "tell the truth"; the object of
"say" is the utterance, when it isn't an odd sort of intransitive,
and the hearer may be named in a "to" phrase.

Usually, ya say the signifier, ya tell the signifiee. For some reason,
I find the distinction obvious, even if my language doesn't make a
systematic use of it. And I've never even touched a 'carburettor'.

You must be young. We used to have carburetors (with fewer t's), now we
have fuel injection.

But *WE* used to have carburettors (with enough t's). Maybe we still do: may
last four cars have been diesel-powered, so I don't know what's current in
the petrol-driven world.

I believe they remain current. Are you Australian, or if not, whence <may>
for /maɪ/?

--
Santa Maradona, priez pour moi!
.