Wed, 16 Aug 1995 17:02:02 -0700
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Bless you, Mark (oder Marcus)! First, slice and dice:
Mekka muselmannen massen menchen moerder mohren mutter marmor monumenten
macher
Mecca muslims mass humans murder Moor mother marble monuments
maker(s
)
Now, when I originally read this, I had not studied any German (despite
a fully German pedigree -- funny how unpopular the language became in
the late '40s and the '50s...). Now, I am reasonably fluent in it,
and the dratted word does not really parse grammatically.
It's hard to say what's modifying (or trying to modify) what.
It COULD be a gang of marble-monument makers from Mecca who
1. are muslims and
2. are mass murderers of Moorish mothers.
Or, it COULD be a gang of Moorish mothers who
1. are marble-monument makers and
2. are muslims who are also
3. mass murderers
Or.... I'll ask a native speaker and see if HE can postulate a
hierarchy of modifiers...
--Thanks again,
Guy Haas
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