Unlike in English, there seems to be no
difference between simple past tense and the perfective aspectual forms as
regards time reference. In English, point of time and the perfective are
incompatible :
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* he has come at 5 o’ clock/yesterday.
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In Mao, they are :
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84. |
1. |
a1
na pfoto2 idu3
baji4 coku-no5
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{ vue }6 |
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{ vu- ie
} |
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{ vu-oie} |
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my1
son2 { came
(?) }6 |
yesterday3
at 95 o’clock
4 |
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{
has come } |
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{
had come } |
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2. |
alemo-no1
idu2 baji3
coku-no4 otu
phodu5 |
{ dahae
}6 |
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{ daha-oie
} |
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Alemo1
{ killed (?) }6
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(a) bull5
yesterday2 at
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{has/had
killed} |
94
o’clock 3 |
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Apart from or in addition to the referential meaning of
the temporal contour of the action with its attendant sense
of current relevance (85.1 below), -o i
carries additional meanings5
which are modal in nature. 1. by choosing and using -oi,
the speaker says that the action has taken place so there
is no need to do it again or otherwise worry about it :
the listener is assured that there is no need to think about
it again, unlike in the choice of the simple past tense
where the situation as regards whether there is need to
think or do something about the same activity is decidedly
uncertain. Thus, in
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85 |
1. |
loli-no1
otu phodu2 daha-oie3
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Loli1
has/had killed3
(a) bull (for food) 2
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Or |
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2. |
ai1
pfo-yi2 da-oie3
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I1
have/had beaten3
him 2 |
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5.
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The coresponding Angami form is -wate. Quite probably
or even presumably, -wate |
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carries all these meanings too, but I didn’t say
as much in Giridhar (1980) for want of data.
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the speaker assures the listener that there is
no need to kill another bull and in the second example, there is no need to
worry about or think on the lines of beating the referent of the direct
object, since the subject has already done it, as opposed to
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86. |
1. |
loli-no1
otu phodu2 dahae3
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Lolia1
killed (for food)3
(a) bull2 |
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| and |
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2. |
ai1
pfo-yi2 dae3 |
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I1
beat3 him2
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which are matter-of-fact
statements and imply nothing as regards what has or has not to be done next.
More examples follow :
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3. |
kaisu1
imela2 graamar3
kayi4 kali5
rü-oie6
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Kaisü1
has written6
a5 good4
Mao2 grammar3
(so you don’t have to write one |
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now or something)’ |
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4. |
a1
dzürieo2 isü
va3 a-oie4
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‘my1
brother2 has
climbed4 Isü
mountain3 (so
don’t call him, he may not come this time or something)’ |
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5. |
kolamüi1
osi-so2 to-oie3
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‘(the) plainsman1
has eaten3
dog-meat2 (i.e.
(the) plainsman has already |
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tasted dog-meat, he
may not therefore eat it now or something)’ |
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6. |
pfo1
ovo-so2 bo-ie3
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‘h1e
has cooked3 pork2
(so you don’t have to cook anythingnoworsomething)’ |
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7. |
hreni1
hayi2 sho-oie3
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Hreni1
has drunk3 ricebeer2
(i.e. Hreni has already tasted ricebeer, he may
n |
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ot therefore take
it now or something)’ |
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8. |
a1
‘my1 wife2
has seen5 this4
film3 (so she
may not come with you now or |
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something)’cümüi2
sinima3 hihi4
koli-oie5
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9. |
a1
pfo2 larübvü3
inai4
phrü-oie5
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my1
father2 has read5
that4 book3
(so you can take it, don’t have to keep it |
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here or something)’
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