The completive aspect The incompletive aspect

2.5.2.5 The past tense particle bh ɔɔ ‘PST5’ The past particle bh ɔɔ is limited to negative clauses, as shown in example 44. It may originally have been a morphologically complex form, consisting of the past particle bhä ‘PST1’ and the countering connective -w ʋ ‘CNT2’ see §8.2.2. In the course of time, the two elements may have amalgamated, yielding the present form bh ɔɔ ‘PST5’. 44 a. waa budo bhɔɔ tobhoo 3 P : XNEG wash PST 5 towel: OBL ‘They didn’t use a towel to wash themselves.’ [kazo 20] b. -mä ɔmɔ ɔɔ -sää bh ɔɔ lä mʋ nä ADD 1 3 S : TH 3 S : XNEG speak: ICP PST 5 LOP VPC SP 1 ‘But as for him, since he was not speaking … [elisabet 80]

2.6 Aspects

Unlike the tenses of a language, which inform the hearer primarily about the time of an event in reference to a time axis see preceding section, the aspects of a language primarily construe an event in relation to whether it is bounded or unbounded in time. 21 A bounded event is seen as compact, that is, as a global fact, while an unbounded event is seen as ongoing in its duration in time. All four aspects found in the other languages of the Kru language family can be distinguished in Godié. 22 These are 1 the completive or perfective aspect; 2 the incompletive or imperfective aspect; 3 the progressive aspect; and 4 the perfect aspect. The completive and incompletive aspects are the two basic and most frequently occurring aspects in Godié, as is the case also in the other Kru languages see Marchese 1986a:29–71 and Marchese 1989.

2.6.1 The completive aspect

The completive aspect in Godié gets a past compact reading with action verbs and a present or undefined time reading with stative verbs. 23 The completive aspect is signalled by a floating low tone added to the verb root. It replaces the mid tone of a monosyllabic verb root, but it doesn’t show with a monosyllabic low tone verb root. It spreads to the right to suffixes without an inherent tone, such as third person pronoun suffixes. Table 2.9 illustrates these changes as they are represented in the Godié practical orthography. Table 2.9. Tone changes of Godié verb roots in the completive aspect Verb tone Example of verb root Completive aspect Completive aspect + pronoun Mid yi ‘come’ -yi -yiwa Low -k ʋ ‘BE1’ -k ʋ -k ʋɔ High su ‘push’ suu- suwa- High-mid kwlie ‘bring down’ kwlie- kwlienö ɔ- 21 See Givón 1984:269ff., chapter 8: “Tense-Aspect Modality.” 22 See Marchese 1986a:29ff., chapter 2: “Basic Aspectual Categories in Kru.” 23 Marchese 1986a:30ff therefore proposes the term factative for this aspectual category, a term first used by Welmers 1973:311.

2.6.2 The incompletive aspect

The incompletive aspect in Godié indicates ongoing non-terminated action, including customary and habitual actions. However, even though it may get a present reading, it should not be considered a present tense. Indeed, it can also occur with past tense markers see §2.5.2.1 and §2.5.2.3 above. The incompletive aspect is signalled by a floating mid tone added to the verb root. It replaces the tone of monosyllabic high and low tone roots, but it does not show with a mid tone root or with a high- mid root. It spreads to the right to suffixes without an inherent tone, such as third person pronoun suffixes. Table 2.10 illustrates these changes, as they are represented in the Godié practical orthography. Table 2.10. Tone changes of Godié verb roots in the incompletive aspect Verb tone Example of verb root Incompletive aspect Incompletive aspect + pronoun Mid yi ‘come’ yi yiwa Low -sä ‘take away’ sä säwa High su ‘push’ su suo High-mid kwlie ‘bring down’ kwlie kwlienö ɔ

2.6.3 The progressive aspect