Here only the action of the main verb
is negated but not the determination of the speaker expressed by the verb.
(3) The Negation of
the Definitive Mood -
(216)
/h1
tap2
thįkõl
m3/
`I1 (do not know when I) shall
eat3 rice2’
Here the negation is only of the
definiteness of the mood but not the main action. That is, the mood becomes
indefinitive but still entails the happening of the action.
/-y
m/ is used with -
(a) Tense markers other
than /-b/,
/-de/ and /-li/.
(217)
/cyį1 tap2
thįą
ym3/
`he1 will not eat3
food2’
(218)
/h1
tap2
thįbiyay
m3/
`I1 shall not eat3
food2’
(219)
/h1
tap2
thįsoy
m3/
`I1 did not eat3
food2’
(220)
/h1
tap2
thįliyąym3/
`I1 did not eat3
food2’
(221)
/n1
tap2
thįrẽy
m3/
`we1 shall not eat3
food2’.
(222)
/nyś1
tap2
thįyąy
m3/
`you1 did not eat food2’
The negative suffix when it is attached to the verbs in
repetitive durative aspect indicates the absence of the repetitive/durative
nature of the action expressed by the main verb but does not indicate the
absence of the performance or happening of the action. Consider the
sentences
(223)
/h1
tap2
thįmasoy
m/
`I1 did not keep on eating3
food2’
(224)
/h1
tamįyģwčlą2
syémasoym3/
`I1 did not keep on killing3
the elephants2’
It implies that the action of killing stopped at some
stage and the subject stopped killing or gave it up at the time of speech or
the time he referred to.
(b) Many of
the methods.
(i)
Capabilitative as in
(225)
/h1
tap2
thįhanéyąy
m3/
`I1 cannot eat3 food2’
The negation indicates the
incapability to perform the action of the main verb without entailing
whether the action was subsequently performed or not.
1
tap
2
thįl
mpiyne3/
/,
/-de/ and /-li/.
