Re: "Abilitative" aspect?

From: "Ian Maxwell" <umlaut@...>
> Muke Tever wrote:
> > _Describing Morphosyntax_ has names for a few of these:
> > abilit[at]ive = "potential"
> > volitive = "optative"
> > debitive = "deontic"
>
> I own Describing Morphosyntax, haven't read the whole thing yet (just
> got it recently), but the volitive and optative aren't the same thing.
> Volitive refers to the *subject's* desire to do something, whereas
> optative refers to the *speaker's* desire.
The examples for "optative" are:
"I wish I had a million dollars."
and
"I want to earn a million dollars."

[Woeful ambiguity...]

But I think if theseis referring to the *subject's* desire, then these aren't
moods at all, because moods are defined as referring to "the _speaker's_
attitude toward a situation".  (244)

It's still not strictly an aspect though...

> > Of course, you could have a permissive as its own mood, but
> > then you could also have it as a causative on an abilitive verb,
> > couldntcha...
>
> Hunh. Something that would literally translate as "to be allowed to be
> able to run" would actually mean "to cause to run", then?
Nah, I mean "to make able to run" (run.ABIL.CAUS) for permissive.  But this has
already been answered.


    *Muke!
--
http://www.frath.net/

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