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Re: Infinitives

From:Roger Mills <rfmilly@...>
Date:Tuesday, March 28, 2000, 6:04
Kash uses conjugated forms of both the modal/aux. and the main verb in these
cases:
    mamelo macosa (I-want I-go) "I want to go"
    yamelo yacosa "he wants to go"
    ta mipole mimepu (not we-can we-do [it]) "we can't do it"
There are eight or ten such auxiliaries that require this construction.
Colloquially, the second subject-prefix is often omitted.
 Verbs of intention or perception are similar--
    mapila manahan "I think I'll eat"
    yatanjañsa yañewa "he realized he was mistaken --
but there is an approved alternative:  pilami, manahan lit. "my thinking,
I'll eat" or tanjañi, yañewa(sa) -- here, -sa PAST might be added if the
context weren't clear.

When the subject of the main verb differs:
    mamelo re hacosa "I want you to go"
    yamelo re yacosa "he(A) wants him(B) to go"
    mapila re yanahan "I think he's eating" (or: pilami, yanahan)

Such things as "I heard him cough(ing)" probably:  ne masosirsa, yawoko lit.
3s-DAT I-heard, 3s-cough (possibly: sosimbri, yawokosa)-- this allows one to
distinguish other cases like "I hear him coming" ne masosir, yarata, vs. "I
hear (that) he's coming" masosir re yarata. (And sosimbri, yarata for both,
ambiguous.)