tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun Mar 02 09:58:32 2014
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Re: [Tlhingan-hol] before now
>>> How would you express "before now"? "I haven't done
>>> this (e.g., written a manuscript) before now."
>>>
>>> {ret not ghItlh vIqon}? Can {ret} be used by itself as
>>> a time stamp, and can it precede an adverbial {not}?
>> wej vIta'pu'.
>> wej ghItlh vIqonpu'
> DaH ghItlh vIqonpu'be'.
> I am not at the time of speaking in the state of having
> completed writing a manuscript. Since the time stamp is
> "now", the perfective covers any past events.
...
> Given the font change and header information, I skipped right
> past David Trimboli's excellent recommendation of using
> {wej}. It's spot on.
wej does work as long as the context clears the ambiguity.
Sally, "I wrote a book."
Jack, "I wrote four books."
Bob, ... well, is Bob saying that he has not yet written his book, or did he write three?
Yes, sometimes context is enough to determine which is ment.
Using the negated perfective in the present helps if Bob's quote above could be taken either way.
- DloraH
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