Re: Interesting way for verbs (IMHO)

Barry Garcia wrote:
>
> Sorry if you thought I made up a new inventive system for verbs, but I
> didn't know a better title for this message.
>
> Anyway, I was working on my verbs for Saalangal, and I wanted to have the
> perfect tenses for interest, for my edification, and I came up with this
> idea:
>
> 1. Take the word denoting posession: dslat. It's not considered a verb
> because it does not conjugate (ever).
>
> 2. Link it to a verb conjugated in a given tense. For instance, past tense
> (reflexive) for
> "to wash (oneself)": kanidaksapes (the form for "washed" is:  daksapes.
> Kani- is the
> prefix for reflexives.
>
> 3. Add the two together with a linker: nu/ng, and you get: "Dslat nu
> kanidaksapes" - Had washed (oneself).
>
> To say: I had washed (myself) today, you say: Dslat nu kanidaksapes isan
> ngatmn. (lit. Have/posessing      [linker]       washed-reflexive      I
>   today)
>
> I know, it's a lot like how it's formed in English and Spanish, but, it
> works for me.
>
        It's not that alike to Spanish and English, the main difference being
that in those two languages, to make perfect tenses you must first
transform the verb to an adjectival form and using another verb (to
have) as auxiliary, whereas in your case the main verb stays the same.
And you can explain it saying for instance that, as a perfect action is
completed, its result is considered owned by the subject, hence the use
of the word for "possession" (it's the way one usually explains the use
of the auxiliary to have to make perfect tenses). What is the status and
the meaning of the linker nu/ng by the way?

        An interesting parallel would be to compare it with the way you mark
possession in Saalangal. How do you construct sentences like "I have
..." for possession?

> Anyway, hopefully i'll get some replies to this.
>
        You got one from me :) .

> Barry
>
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