|
9. |
|
adahra1
mamüi zhüe2 |
| |
1. |
Adahra1
is beautiful2
|
| |
2. |
Adahra1
was beautiful2
|
| |
|
|
|
10. |
|
onia-no1
kapena-sü2 macie3
|
| |
1. |
what2
Onia1 says2
is correct3 |
|
2. |
what2
Onia1 said2
was correct3
|
|
Contributing to the inexorability of this
ambiguity is the linguistic fact that these verbs do not take the
habitual aspect marker, for, notionally, there could be no distinction
between the habitual, present and simple present forms of these verbs
excepting maci ‘be correct’ (and verbs descriptive of cognitive activities,
of memory etc.). That is,
|
| |
he habitually
likes tea |
| and |
|
| |
he likes tea |
| |
|
| are
essentially the same as |
|
| |
he habitually
knows Mao Naga |
| and |
|
| |
he knows Mao Naga |
| |
|
| |
But he habitually
drinks tea |
| |
|
| on
the other hand, is different from |
|
| |
he drinks tea
|
|
Had the verbs in the ambiguous sentences above taken the
habitual aspect marker -we, they would not
be ambiguous. But they do not:
|
|
48. |
*1a. |
hrekha1
rashü2 dzü pa-we3 |
|
|
Hrekha1
likes3 fruits2
|
|
|
|
|
*2a. |
lona-hi1
osa so-we2 |
|
|
he1
is tall2 |
|
|
|
|
*3a. |
dikho1
hayi2 -ko0
oca3 dzü-no4
dzü pa-we5 |
|
|
Dikho1
prefers5 ricebeer
2 to4
tea3 |
|
|
|
|
*4a. |
lijisa1
lainus-yi2 le-shü-we3
|
|
|
Lijsa1
likes3 Linus2
|
|
|
|
|
*5a. |
tasoni1
kapani-yi2 mari-we3 |
|
|
Tasoni1
resembles3 Kapani2
|
|
|
|
|
*6a. |
pfota1
pfo-yi2 nie kara-we3
|
|
|
they (excl.pl.)1
hate3 him2
|
|
|
|
|
*7a. |
heshu-hi1
onga-lowe2 |
|
|
Heshu1
is good physiqued 2 |
|
|
|
|
*8a. |
pfo1
zhü-we2 |
|
|
he1
is good2 |
|
|
|
|
*9a. |
adahra1
mamüi zhü-we2
|
|
|
Adahra1
is beautiful2
|
|
Verbs of cognition and memory do
distinguish between simple past (marked by ) and simple present which is
notionally and formally, in the case of these verbs, identical with the
habitual present.
|
|
49. |
1. |
ai1
bengaali2 sü-we3 |
I1
know3 Bengali
2 |
| |
|
(lit.
I habitually know Bengali) |
| |
|
|
| |
2. |
ai1
bengaali2 süe3
|
I1
knew 3 Bengali2
|
| |
|
|
| |
3. |
ai1
ni-yi2 momo-we3
|
I1
remember 3 you2
|
| |
|
(lit.
I habitually remember you) |
| |
|
|
| |
4. |
ai1
ni-yi2 momoe3 |
I1
remembered3 you2
|
|
3.4.5.
|
Aspect |
| Aspect
has to do with the temporal or the objective state per se
in time of an action/state/process identified by the predicate.
Like mood but unlike tense, two aspects can co-occur. eg.
the iterative and the habitual. Aspectual distinctions in
Mao are Habitual, Progressive, Iterative or Frequentative,
Imminence and Perfective. |
3.4.5.1.
|
The Habitual |
The Habitual aspect which
expresses habitual -- dispositional or other wise -- regularity of
occurrence
is marked by -we which closes the verb phrase.
|
|
50. |
1. |
nipuni1
rü2 mazhü3
-we2 |
| |
|
Nipuni1
writes2 well3
|
| |
|
|
| |
2. |
cühi)1
kapra 2 -po-no3
pra-we 4 |
| |
|
(the) sun1
rises4 from/in
(the direction of) 3
the east2 |
| |
|
|
| |
3. |
kaikho1
ocüko huni2
mail3 kaxi4
tu-we5 |
| |
|
Kaikho1
runs5 two4
miles3 daily2
|
| |
|
|
| |
4. |
a1
pfo2 iniu3
-li4 ta5
makra6 -we5
|
| |
|
my1
father2 goes5
to4 (the) village3
often/regularly6
|
|
