tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Mar 05 09:51:34 1999
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Re: Verbal Events
- From: Marc Ruehlaender <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: Verbal Events
- Date: Fri, 05 Mar 1999 11:51:30 CST
ja' peHruS:
> I just discovered another source of confusion for Aspect lovers.
jImISbe'. 'ach chaq jIqarchu'be' je.
> MO himself calls actions Events.
bImISlaw'...
> 4.2.7. Type 7: Aspect
>
> The language does, however, indicate aspect: whether an action is completed
> or not yet completed, and whether an action is a single EVENT or a continuing
> one.
>
I may be wrong in my interpretation but I think, an action is marked
as being complete by using {-pu'} or {-ta'} and is marked as being
continuing by using {-taH} or {-lI'}.
if an action is considered to be a single event, I assume the speaker
disregards the internal structure (thus it is "Comrie-perfective") and
I repeat my belief that that is usually best expressed by not using any
type 7 suffix at all.
however, if you consider {-pu'}/{-ta'} to focus the attention on the
"event of completing" the action, it makes some sense too, and of
course, actions marked as ongoing are certainly not yet complete.
Marc Ruehlaender
aka HomDoq
[email protected]