Re: Genitive relationships (WAS: Construct States)

On Tue, 9 Mar 1999, Nik Taylor wrote:

> Padraic Brown wrote:
> > "Black English" makes this distinction as well: I ritin [now] v. I be
> > ritin [habitual].
>
> "White" English does this too.  "I'm writing [now]" vs. "I write
> [habitual]".  Indeed, the so-called "present tense" in English is rarely
> a true present tense at all - it's usually habitual, or sometimes future
> ("When do you leave?" - complicated by the use of the progressive for
> future as well, at time, "I'm leaving tomorrow").
Indeed, "White English" marks aspect; but the point was that "Black
English" does it in a similar fashion to the earlier English example
given, i.e., by using "be" for the habitual.  I'm a-writing --> I ritin; I
be a-writing --> I be ritin.

Padraic.