Modal verb ‘need to’

16.2.6 Modal verb ‘like to’.

Lhomi has at least two constructions that express the idea of wanting or desire. One is nø discussed in section 16.2.5. The other one, which I call modal attitude ‘like to’, is treated in the current section. It expresses the speaker’s wish or liking to do something. It has the following syntactic characteristics: • The modal matrix verb is thet which is a T1 type verb and it means ‘like to, would like to’. • The subjects of the complement clause and the matrix clause are co-referential. Case marking ERG of the subject is governed by the matrix verb. • This modal combines also with a third person subject and occurs in interrogative clauses. • Typically it gets nonpast finite suffixes. • This modal may occur in non-finite position too. • The complement clause is marked by simultaneous activity marker -kin which makes it an object of the matrix verb. • The matrix verb may be adjectivized see example 16.74. Consider the following examples. 16 .70 ŋ-e phitsa-la tuwa luk-kin thek-kuk. 1SG-ERG child-DAT food feed-NMLZ like.to-PROG;VIS ‘I would like to feed the baby.’ 16 .71 miŋp-ʏ khim-la lok-kin thek-kuk. younger.brother-ERG house-DAT return-NMLZ like.to-PROG;VIS ‘Younger brother would like to return home.’ 16 .73 ŋ-e saar-la ɖo-kin thek-kuk. 1SG-ERG city-DAT go-NMLZ like.to-PROG;VIS ‘I would like to go to the city.’ There are several derivational operators that nominalize or adjectivize this verb thet. The following example illustrates how it is adjectivized: 16 .74 ŋa khit-raŋ tɕaa-la juŋ-kin thes-si tɕhuŋ. 1SG 2PL-self at-DAT come-NMLZ like.to-INTNS become[PST] ‘I became very desirous to come over to you.’ Or: ‘I got a real desire to come over to you.’ The adjective thes-si is the predicate adjective of the verb t ɕhuŋ. This example refers to an event.

16.3 Deontic modality

16.3.1 Modal verb ‘need to’

The meaning of the necessity modal is very close to the obligative modal verb ‘have to’ discussed in the next section, 16.3.2. However this one is a bit more versatile and is more frequent in everyday usage. The English meaning typically is ‘needed to’, ‘there wasis a need’, ‘had a need’, ‘had to’. This modality has the following characteristics: • The modal attitude verb gø- is the verb of the main clause which is T2 or I type. • The main-clause verb combines with both nonpast and past suffixes, e.g. - kuk, -soŋ. • The complement-clause verb is a nonpast verb root of almost any verb type except existential or equative copular. • The complement-clause subject is either dative or absolutive marked subject of the main clause. • The subject of the complement clause and the subject of the main clause are co-referential and the rest of the complement clause is the object of the main clause. Consider the following examples. 16.75 toto-la roo- raŋ-ki khim-la baalik elder.brother-DAT 3SG-self-GEN house-DAT bamboo.mat kop gø- soŋ. to.place[NPST] need.to-PST.VIS ‘Elder brother needed to roof his house.’ 16.76 gotta ʈhakuk-ki hok-la ɕuk gø-soŋ. 3SG overhang-GEN under-DAT enter[NPST] need.to-PST.VIS ‘He needed to go underneath an overhang.’ 16.77 u-ko ama- raŋ-ki ŋa-la sir mit-gø-ken bet. that-head mother-self-ERG 1SG-DAT say NEG-need.to-NMLZ;CONJ AUX ‘Mother, you do not need to tell me that.’ 16.78 ama di phitsa-la ŋiŋ tsha-j-e mother DEF child-DAT heart feel.hot-NMLZ;Q-INS ni ama di ɕi gø ɕar-a bet. TE21 DM mother DEF die[NPST] need.to[NPST] start-NMLZ;Q AUX ‘Mother felt compassion towards the child and therefore mother had to die.’ This is from a fable and “mother” refers to a mountain goat. This statement is a parenthetical statement explaining why the mother was burned up in a fire.

16.3.2 Modal verb ‘have to’