Lingu Frakas...question re: TMA (tenses, mood & aspects)

In a message dated 2000/05/14 11:43:15 AM, Ray wrote:

>_xi_ (past), _xa_ (now), _xe_ (what may be) has an Esperantine or
>Volapükish feel about it to me, i.e. the regimentation that con-IALists so
>often try to impose on language.  As 'Lingu Frakas' is in your own words an
>artlang pidgin/creole it might be better to have three unrelated
>monosyllabic particles (maybe even chosen randomly - or serendipitously).
>
    I snagged _xi_ (actually it was _bi_ in the original), _xa_, & _xe_ from
a Portuguese creole.
    Yep, I am still working on this TenseMoodAspect thing... I might have a
separate pidgin word for each tense: like Tok Pisin' s future tense _bai_ or
baimbai_,  and for past tense _bin/ben_  (common to several pidgins &
creoles) and then just use aspects to cover differences in present tense,
etc..

>Looks a bit like western linear ordering of time which, I think (tho I may
>well be mistaken), Jonathan did not particularly want to adhere to.
    Did I say that? ...  :)   I don't think so (except perhaps in regards to
the word and idea of "timeline").

    As to differences in progressive & continuative, I am still working it
out.
Maybe better is periodic/sporadic & continuative?
    ahhh... ::wihdraws to drawing board:::