Re: Senyecan Verb Idiom I

On Jan 10, 2005, at 9:13 PM, caeruleancentaur wrote:
> In your various conlangs how do you express the concepts:
> 1. to have just
> and
> 2. to be about to
> If you answer, please include a literal English translation.  Thanks.
> Charlie
> http://wiki.frath.net/User:Caeruleancentaur
Rokbeigalmki expresses these with compound tenses:
"have just" = |AZU-
"about to" = |AZII-

Rokbeigalmki conjugates verbs by attaching a "subject-tense complex" to
the front of the verb-noun root.
i.e.:

MANOI "eating"
AZ "I"
A (present-immediate)

  = AZA-MANOI "i am eating"

FARIT "jump"
IZ "she"
U (past)

  = IZU-FARIT "she jumped"


You can double-up tense markings:

A (present-immediate) + U (past) = |AZU-
A (present-immediate) + II (future/irrealis) = |AZII-

OZAZU-FARIT "he just jumped"
UHMZAZII-MANOI "they're about to eat"


-Stephen (Steg)
  "only the extremes are logical;
   but they are absurd."
      ~ samuel butler

Replies