reduplicated and so have a sense of iterativity, they are often also modified by other aspectual markers or words which indicate durativity as well.
321 na-m-ko-koha 3s-STAT-RDP-pound
‘It is very crushed.’ 322 n-ker-kerna
3s-RDP-dry ‘It is really dry.’
323 na-p-lo-lola 3s-STAT-RDP-straight
‘It is very true.’ 324 n-nar-nara
3s-RDP-wait ‘He waits and waits’
325 au-la-la’a 1s-RDP-walk
‘I walk and walk’ 326 Yan
mi-m-ta’ata e’
e-n-mor-mior mia’ta.
do not 2p-STAT-afraid
3s DUR-3s-RDP-live
yet. ‘Do not be afraid, he is still alive.’
3.6.4 TAM words
Not only do clitics indicate tense, aspect, mood on the verbs but also some verbs, time expressions, connectors, and adverbs have this function.
Nhi’inde ‘usually’ indicates frequent or regular action and so could be considered a type of durativity.
327 Nhi’inde a-u-tu’utu
wetra’a la
watu
nhi’inde a-u-tu’utu
wetra’a la
watu
usually 1s-1s-pound
corn with
stone
‘Usually I pound corn with a stone.’
328 Patke’a de
nhi’inde n-mai
female that usually
3s-come
‘That woman usually comes by.’ 329 Nhi’inde
o-m-pa-trom-nana Henri
Nhi’inde o-m-wa-troma-nana
Henri
usually 2s-2s-MULT-meet-ABIL
Henri
‘Usually you meet Henri.’
Another way to indicate durativity or regular practice is through the reduplication of lera ‘day’.
330 Lera-lera muanke’a
la’a lora
to’owa pa
pok i’ina
lera-lera muanke’a
la’a lora
to’a-wa pa
poka i’ina
day-day male
go sea
only-PERF for spear fish
‘Every day the men go to sea to spear fish.’ 331 Lera-lera
emkade
day-day like that
‘Every day it was just like that.’
332 Lera-lera pa
r-la’-lora-r-la’-ra’a
day-day to
3p-go-sea-3p-go-land
‘Every day they went fishing and came home.’
Another way to indicate usual or repeated action is by using the word nahei ‘play’ followed by a nominalized verb. Note the following:
333 Kete nmalanu
pa na-hei
yamota kete
n-malanu pa
na-hei ya-mota
name 3s-pregnant
for 3s-play
NOM-throw-up
‘Kete is pregnant so she is always throwing up.’
334 Seri sukni
na-hei knyakru
seri suka-ni
na-hei ny-kakru
name like-POS 3s-play
NOM-cry ‘Seri is a cry baby.’
Tepartarlia literally ‘sunk into’ ‘in the process of’ or ‘engrossed in’ is a verb indicating durativity. It is discussed in more detail in §6.4.7.
335 Ir-wotelu tepar-tar-lia
krita w-ni-a-hak-ni
ir-wo-telu tepra-taru-la krita
ni-wa-haka-ni three
sink-DUR-to octopus
NOM-MULT-search-POS
‘The three of them were engrossed in the process of octopus searching.’ 336 Tepar-tar-lia
ya-la’a
tepra-taru-la ya-la’a
sink-DUR-to NOM-go
‘They were in the process of walking.’ Ululuulu ‘earlier’ indicates prior action.
337 Ululu pliaini
upni lerni-tgarni lerni de
ulu-ulu pliaini
upa-ni-lera-ni-tgara-ni-lera-ni de
RDP-before earlier
grandparent-POS sun-POS-ancestor-POS sun-POS that ‘A long long time ago in the time of our ancestors.’
338 Ululu la
Lgona di
patke’a tuwu
lawna welli
werta
long ago in Luang this
woman age
big price heavy
‘Long ago in Luang a grown woman’s price was expensive.’
339 Muanke’a di na-tian
ulu patke’a
de male
this 3s-ask first
female that
‘This man first asks that woman.’
Nwauga is a verb meaning ‘beginstart’. It is used to indicate inceptive action.
340 N-waug-a la
Samuel ler-ni
pa la’pa
mak-taw-li’iru
n-wau-a la
Samuel lera-ni
pa la’pa
maka-tawu-li’iru
3s-begin-OBJ from
Samuel time-POS to
reach which-from-back
‘Beginning from Samuel’s time to reach to these later days.’
Nhi’pa ‘almost’ is used to indicate an action that is nearly complete. 341 Ra-’ara
dewade Teti Lai nhi’pa
n-rehi ar-wa
3p-war then
Teti Lai almost
won war-PERF
‘They went to war and Teti Lai had almost won the war already.’
342 R-rora r-den-nek-la
hande-wa pa
nhi’pa lawan-wa
r-rora r-del-neka-la
hande-wa pa
nhi’pa lawna-wa
3p-two 3p-stay-just-at there-PERF till almost
big-PERF
‘The two of them stayed there till he was already almost an adult.’
Na’namana’nima is a connector which indicates action that has just recently occurred. It implies actions immediately following each other.
343 N-pona wehla
pa na-p-lok-lokar na’nama la
n-hi’ ud
liola woru n-ona
wehla pa na-p-lokra-lokra
na’nama la n-hi’a
udi lola
woru
3s-sharpen machete till 3s-STAT-RDP-sharp just then went 3s-make banana trunk two ‘He sharpened his machete till it was sharp just then went to cut two banana trunks.’
344 Ler di na’nama
a-h-gi’a Wahyu
tian-ni. ler
di na’nama
a-u-hi’a Wahyu
tiana-ni
day this just now 1s-1s-do Wahyu question-GEN ‘Just this day I did Wahyu’s questions.’
345 Ke-ke’en maka
na’nama ha-ra-yor-nian
de ke’a-ke’a-ni
maka na’nama
ha-ra-yori-nana de
RDP-little-GEN who just
AN-3p-birth-ABIL that
‘That child which was just born.’ Ma’ta ‘still’ indicates a continuative state, process, or activity.
346 Papmu nor
Mammu er
ma’ta la
Amerika? papa-mu
n-ora mama-mu
er ma’ta
la America
father-POS 3s-with mother-POS
are still to
America
‘Are your parents still in America?’
347 Mi don
miplar ma’ta?
mi edonna
mi-p-lara ma’ta
2s not
2p-STAT-hunger still ‘You are still not hungry?’
348 Yan mi-m-ta’ata
e-n-mor-mior mia’ta
yana mi-m-ta’ata
e-n-mori-mori ma’ta
do not 2p-STAT-afraid
DUR-3s-RDP-live yet
‘Do not be afraid, he is still living.’ Edon ma’ta ‘not yet’ indicates incompletive action. It indicates that a state has not been achieved or
an action has not yet occurred.
349 Noka edon ra-’ar ma’ta de
de honnona ra-wok-la
Iltutnu-Ilgaini
Then not 3p-war yet
that that all 3s-gather-at
Iltutnu-Ilgaini
‘When they had not begun the war yet, they all gathered at Iltutnu-Ilgaini.’ 350 Edonna l-la’a
ma’ta leta
ralam-ni de
n-wa-trom-nana patke’a
ida
not 3s-go still
village inside-POS
that 3s-MULT-meet-ABIL female one
‘Before he had even gone into the village he met a woman.’
351 Ami edon
ma-mkek-nan ma’ta
noha Apnu.
We not
1pe-see-ABIL yet
island Apnu
‘We had not yet been able to seeseen the island of Ambon.’
Owa’ana ‘again’ indicates repeated action.
352 Noka a-keni wa’ana niamni wa’ana am-ken
pia harahu
then 1s-put again
seaweed again
1pe-put so
a lot
‘Then we again put in seaweed, we put in a lot.’
353 O-m-ukot neka
emkade wa’ana
a-u-mali 2s-2s-say
just like that again
1s-1s-laugh
‘If you say like that again I will laugh.’
354 Demade de n-a
’owan la
wehla demade de
n-ala owa’ana la
wehla then
that 3s-take again
DO knife
‘Right then he picked up the knife again’
Oleka ‘already’ indicates perfective action. 355 Mere
plollolli de
ag-atu oleka
But actually
that 1s-know already
‘But actually I already knew.’
356 A-g-atu h-gorta
oleka a-na’n-u
a-u-atu u-horta
oleka a-nana-’u
1s-1s-know 1s-write already my-name-POS ‘I already know how to write my name.’
357 Dewade n-weta-nana oleka
kokoiwa then
3s-say-ABIL already riddle
‘Then he was already able to figure out the riddle.’
Nhorwua ‘finish’ indicates completive action. 358 Talla
et-la pa
iskol-li n-horu-wa
rode is-at
for school-POS 3s-finish-PERF
‘There is a way for schooling-POS to be finished.’
359 Mere Lgona
n-keran pa
n-horu-wa
but Luang
3s-dry till
3s-finish-PERF ‘But Luang was drying till completely dry.’
Onanwa is a word indicating definite finality or full completion. 360 Noka onanwa
Then done ‘All doneover’
Matialo’onamde ‘probably’ indicates dubitive action.
361 Matialo’onamde Uplerlawna
takenia n-tahan-nana.
Perhapsprobably God
not 3s-endure-ABIL
‘Perhaps God could not put up with them any more.’
Plollolli ‘actuallytruly’ indicates certainty. It emphasizes that the speaker is convinced of the truth of what it is saying.
362 Mere plollolli
de Tre Upni
but actually that Tre Upni
‘But actually it is Tre Upni.’
363 Mere plollolli
de yanulu
nwawa Lay
but actually that
elder 3s-name Lay
‘But actually the oldest was named Lay.’
364 Mere plollolli
de ag-atu
oleka But
actually that 1s-know
already
‘But actually I already knew.’
To’a ‘just’ can indicate exclusivity or restrictiveness. 365 A-niair
to’a pola
to’ora mot-mota
ida a-u-nair
to’a pola
to’ora mota-mota
ida 1s-1s-wear
only pants
cut RDP-green
one
‘I only wore a green pair of cut-off pants.’
366 Aulia umkek
to’a noha-rai
au-la’a u-mkeka
to’a noha-rai
1s-go 1s-see
just island-land
‘I’m just going to see that land.’
367 A-isko’l-u pai-piair-ni
de ma’m-u
n-pair to’a
a-iskola-’u pairi-pairi-ni
de mama-’u
n-pairi to’a
my-school-POS RDP-pay-POS that mama-POS
3s-pay just
‘My school bill, my mother will just pay it.’ The clitic neka ‘just’ can indicate mitigativity.
368 O-m-ukot neka
emkade wa’ana
a-u-mali
2s-2s-say just like that again
1s-1s-laugh
‘If you just say just like that again I will laugh.’
369 I-t-wateti-t-waneh neka
1pi-1pi-decide-1pi-agree just
‘Let us just resolve this.’
370 R-wei-r-nar neka
pa mahneka
3p-wait-3p-wait just
for long
‘They just keeping waiting for a long time.’
371 N-wate’i-n-wahapra neka
a-la’r-u 3s-step-on 3s-step on
just my-sail-POS
‘She just stepped on my sail.’
Emphatic clauses can be modified by both to’a and neka: 372 N-den ma-ma’a
onnila na-hora petu
to’ neka-w
na na-’uhu-na-’apnu. 3s-stay RDP-ashamed because 3s-with
bamboo only just-PERF INS-3p-breast-3p-stomach ‘She continued to be ashamed because as a result of just only a bamboo between her legs she
was pregnant.’ Memna ‘very’ intensifies or indicates immediate action.
373 mu-kot-memna 2s-say-very
‘You say it now.’ 374 n-mati-miemna
n-mati-memna 3s-dead-very
‘He instantly died’
375 Mere na-hmen
memna
but 3s-not want
very ‘But he really did not want to.’
3.7 Interjections