tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Apr 17 14:54:48 2002
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Re: to' nech, 051-061
> I took {-pu'} to be purely aspectual: i.e., to be used along with any
> action that reaches deliberate completion, regardess of whether it's
> conceived of in the past or the future (as here -- the command is to
> deliberately complete the act of silencing it, then proceed).
> But now that I look at TKD's description again, it sounds like it's got
> some tense semantics too. Correct?
To imply "deliberately" without aspect, we have the adverbial chIch.
(Plus, -ta' is the aspect marker that implies "deliberately", not -pu'.)
(below when I use -pu' I am refering to -pu' and -ta')
-pu' means completed in relation to the timestamp.
Qorwagh ghor
He broke the window, he breaks the window, he will break the window.
Qorwagh ghorpu'
He had broken the window, he has broken the window, he will have broken the
window.
cha'Hu' Qorwagh ghor
Two days ago he broke the window. Not three days ago, not two days from now.
cha'Hu' Qorwagh ghorpu'
Two days ago he had already broken the window. Maybe it was three days ago
that he did it. Maybe it was last month. By time we get to two days ago, the
window is broken.
cha'leS Qorwagh ghor
Two days from now he will break the window. Not yesturday, not today.
cha'leS Qorwagh ghorpu'
Two days from now he will have already broken the window. Maybe he broke it
last week, maybe he broke it today, maybe he will break it tomorrow. I don't
say exactly when; all we know is that by time two days from now gets here, the
window will be broken.
DloraH, BG