Re: GROUPLANG: verbs and auxiliaries

Pablo wrote :
I've been checking out a Basque grammar. It turns out
> that verbs are declined by aspect, tense, etc., but
> some inflections are added to the main verb while
> others are made to an auxiliary verb (which is always
> present). We could have that in our language, don't you
> think? The auxiliary would help to lighten the burden of
> the main verb, and it can be placed anywhere in the sentence.
> It could also be helpful to replace the entire verb (as
> in English).
>
> In Basque, you say
> "He did it" > "He it done had" ("He had it done")
> (the perfect aspect in the English sentence is just
> for the sake of English grammar; and "done" is the
> form of the verb "do" + an aspect).
>
>
> --Pablo Flores
>
Yes, that's a bit like in Japanese : '(I it) do-and (it is) done' = 'shi-te dekita'
I even propose that we could affix some modal tags on cases, verbs and nouns :

Suggestions :

Relative/resumptive pronouns :

latter_one = the one I just spoke about
former_one = the one before the latter
next_one = the one after this one
this_fact = this fact I'm talking about
latter_fact = the fact I just spoke about
former_fact = the fact before the latter
next_fact = the fact thereafter

Usual modal affixes (I quote them from Japanese, but they are quite usual in any language) :

perfect affix = finish;
perfective affix = completed;
desideratif affix = want;
factual affix = do;
comitative affix = and;
subsequence affix = then;
alternative affix = or;
potential affix = can;
debetative affix = must;
negative affix = no;
(...) = optional words.

These affixes may attach to the predicate, to the nouns or to the case tag (I don't
need to tag predicate with 'di-').

The dog bites either me or you and the girl and runs away =
erg-dog pat-or-me pat-or-you pat-and-girl bite-then, run-then, go_away.

I bake dough into cake in 2 hours =
erg-me pat-dough oven, (abs-latter_fact) age-hours (age-latter_one) two time-then,
age-cake product-finish =
'I use the oven on dough, this lasts two hours, then cake results'

I lead the white sheep through mountain in order to escape wolves =
erg-me abs-sheep att-latter_one whiteness pat-mountain go-through-do, pat-wolves
escape, (att-latter_fact) age-former_fact reason.

I want to know why you've lied to me =
abs-want-me (age-next_fact) knowledge, age-what (att-latter_fact) reason, abs-you pat-me
lie-finish.

If your dog bites me today, I kill her =
age-today time, erg-dog att-you latter_one pat-me bite, (att-latter_fact age-nex_fact)
result, erg-me pat-she death.

I can't see the house from the top of that mountain =
abs-can-no-me pat-house vision att-latter_fact age-mountain origin;
or :
abs-me pat-can-not-house att-this_fact age-mountain origin vision.

etc.

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