Re: Tense marked on nouns

Sally Caves wrote:

> Only in some conlangs? :)  elry krespr, "past-I write"?  (I wrote)  Unless I
> still misunderstand you here.  When the VERB is marked morphologically, you
> say?  or when TENSE is marked morphologically?  Most Teonaht verbs have next
> to no tense/aspect/person/number morphology.  Only moveable affixes.  They
> are marked, however, for volitionality.
This example "past-I write" stroke my eyes. My conlang Shaquelingua also
uses a clause-level marker which can be used on nouns with an adjectivale
value. (In Shaquelingua, verbs aren't marked for anything, they don't
exist.) The marker is a modal+tense compound, with a very large set of modal
values.

ve ke-kebis bjó to'kja. [ve: ke:kebis bjO to:.kja]

the (imperative past)-work (descriptor) (indicative future)

= I will do the work that was demanded.

(The "descriptor" means that "work" is a physical object/action undergoing
manipulation/execution.)

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tu'çaki seje lasjo-kebis tøl'rë filëjhge.
		[tu:Caki seje 4a.sjo:kebis t94(9)rë: fi4Ej.ge]

(indicative distant future)'we own (negative potential future)-work
(descriptor)'(undefined plural) robot.

= We'll give to robots the work we won't be able (to do).

(The "descriptor" means that "work" is an immaterial object/action that is
effectively transmitted.)

(And [4] is the japanese r/l, an alveolar flap.)

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Sometimes this modal+tense compound actually behaves like an english modal
verb. Maybe it was so in an ancient form of Shaquelingua? I don't know, I
haven't studied much of its history.

do'rja ; kili ; jo'kja. [do:.xja] [ki4i] [jo:.kja]

(conditional future)'thou ; also ; (implicative future)'I

= If you (will) then I (will) too.

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diçreo'rja ; jisjeo'rja. [di.Cxe^o:.xja] [ji.sje^o:.xja]

(conditional volutive atemporal)'thou ;
(implicative potential atemporal)'thou.

= If you want, (then) you can.

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lako'kaja deo-govilø ! [4ako:kaja: de^o:govil9]

(negative imperative future)'my (conditional atemporal)-friend.

= Don't (do it) if you're my friend!

If you wonder why I use the imperative future, that's because whenever you
order something to someone, it's always for an action in the future, at
least after the end of your sentence. A progressive tense much closer to our
present exists in Shaquelingua but you won't use it unless you're already
pushing your (wannabe) friend aside or removing the hands of a child from
hir plate.

laki'rja ! [4aki:.xja]

(negative imperative progressive retrospective)'thou.

= Stop it!

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ji kaçtólu soe, [ji: ka.CtO4u so^e] (one soon until)

--
==================
Remi Villatel
maxilys_@_tele2.fr
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