and
with-zero realization function as verbs. The following
examples could be seen: |
|
|
Such
complex verbs can further participate in large constructions
involving tense, aspect or modal auxiliaries as discussed
in the following sections. However, a few examples are
given below : |
| 1.
/sita film ká:nèntìr tàh/ |
‘I
showed Sita a film’ |
2.
/sita film ìnéntìr í tìh/
3. /sita film í:néntìr
dí
anih/ |
 ‘you
will show Sita a film’ |
|
|
|
|
In
Hmar N+V or V+V type of compound verbs, where both the
constituents together function like a unit and undergo
inflection like a simple verb are not generally found.
Rather compound verbs of the types V+Post position are
common. Such compound verbs only express various shades
of meaning equivalent to tense-like, aspectual and modal
expressions. |
| 3.3.4 |
Expression
of Past and Future Tenses |
|
Hmar
has no one word verb form which could express a verb
in past or future tense. This does not mean that Hmar
has no device to express past and future. It, like English
which expresses future by phrasal construction (auxilary/will/+verb
root) has a device of periphrastic constructions. Hmar
expresses equivalents of past and future by phrases,
which are nothing but compounding a verb
with some past positions. The present tense verb form
is followed by /tah/ to denote past and by /tih/ to
denote furture. There forms can’t be construed as suffixes
as these are separated from the main verb stem/root
by a perceptible pause. The compound verb forms so constructed
do not undergo any inflection for person and number.
Given below are few examples: |
|
|
‘do’+past
‘eat’+past |
ká/kán/eí
th
tàh fà:k tàh
‘I/we did/ate’ |
| í/ín
th
tàh fà:k tàh
‘you did/ate’ |
| á/án
th
tàh fà:k tàh
‘he/they did/ate’ |
|
All
verbs participate in this kind of compound formation
for the realisation of past equivalents. The transitivety
or intransivity or the syllabic structure of the main
verb root has no bearing on the compound-verbal formations
for past equivalents. |
|
The
future equivalents are realised slightly differently
from those of post equivalents. The post position /tìh/
‘will’ in place of /tàh/ for the past is used subject
to the following conditions: |
| 1. |
-
is added to the verbroot, |
| 2. |
The
subject pronoun follows the main verb as realised
under (i) above, and |
| 3. |
The
post position /tìh/ marking
future comes as the last constituent in the verb
phrase. |
|
All
verbs participate in this kind of compound formation
for the reliastion of future equivalents. The transitivity
or intransitivity or the syllabic structure of the main
verb root does not have any bearing on the compound
verbal formations for future equivalents too. The following
examples in the tabular form could be seen. |
/
