Re: Senyecan Verb Idiom I

On Mon, 10 Jan 2005 19:13:32 -0000, caeruleancentaur
<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
Xinkutlan uses an immediate past tense prefix combined with a perfective
prefix for "to have just":

elpabanir - I have (just now) washed
el-p(u)-aban-ir
IMM.PST-PERF-wash-1SGL

"To be about to" I don't think there's a direct equivalent for.  Perhaps
just putting it in the immediate future tense, which is used for immediate
intention anyway:

rosabanir - I will wash (right now)
ro(s)-aban-ir
IMM.FUT-wash-1SGL

Possibly even combining the present continuous and immediate future tenses:

atilrosabanir - I am presently in a state where I will immediately wash
a(t)-il-ro(s)-aban-ir
PRS-CONT-IMM.FUT-wash-1SGL

This would be permissible- the language will let you string together a
whole lot of affixes, even ones that appear contradictory- and the order
you put them in can change the meaning of the word/phrase!
It would be a bit unusual, though!

Geoff

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