Re: "Abilitative" aspect?

--- Jan van Steenbergen <ijzeren_jan@...>
wrote:
>  --- Ian Maxwell wrote:
>
> > Specicifically, I'm conceiving of an aspect that
> marks having the
> > ability to do something. So, it would turn "to
> run" into "to be able to
> > run". There could also be a seperate aspect for
> being allowed to do
> > something, so that it would become "to be allowed
> to run". And, while
> > we're at it, there could be one for willingness
> ("to be willing to run").
> >
> > Does anyone know of an existing language (conlangs
> included) that marks
> > any of these? If not, I nominate the terms
> abilitative, permissive,
> > and... um, I don't know. Any suggestions for the
> third?
>
> I don't know in which existing languages this
> phenomenon exists, but I would be
> very surprised if there weren't any. After all,
> there is nothing particularly
> revolutionary in the idea: it's just a matter of
> merging a verb with an
> auxiliary.
English, of course, can mark all three phenomena by
using the auxilliary "can" (or by suffixing "c'n" to
the subject, if you consider affixing a requirement to
moodhood).

Hec'n run his mouth all day long. (ability)
Meribel can run the booth, then. (permissive)
I can do that, if you don't want. (willingness)

> Jan
Padraic.


=====
il dunar-li c' argeont ayn politig;
     celist il pozponer le mbutheor ayn backun gras.

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