[tlhIngan Hol] Using aspect as tense

mayqel qunenoS mihkoun at gmail.com
Thu Dec 27 10:05:11 PST 2018


SuStel:
> naH jajmeywIj bIQ'a' HeHDaq jIyIt
> In my youth I walked on the beach.
> My intention here is to imply that I used to walk on the beach;
> it was my habit to walk on the beach in my youth

If this sentence describes a habit taking place during youth, then
shouldn't the sentence be {qaStaHvIS naH jajmeywIj, bIQ'a' HeHDaq
jIyIt} ?

The way I would understand {naH jajmeywIj bIQ'a' HeHDaq jIyIt}, is
that "in my youth, once I walk on the beach".

SuStel:
> If I said
> naH jajmeywIj bIQ'a' HeHDaq jIyItpu'
> In my youth I walked on the beach,
> I would be saying that in my youth there was this one time when
> I took a walk on the beach, and completed the walk. It could not
> be used to refer to your habit of walking every day.

ok, I understand this; and I understand why there's no need for {qaStaHvIS}.

SuStel:
> wa' ben Ha'DIbaH vISopbe'
> I didn't eat meat last year.
> This describes the general fact of my meatlessness last year

Again, the absence of {qaStaHvIS} confuses me. If during the last year
I didn't eat meat, then shouldn't this be {qaStaHvIS DIS vorgh,
Ha'DIbaH vISopbe'} ? The way I understand {wa' ben Ha'DIbaH vISopbe'}
is "one year ago, one time I don't eat meat"

SuStel:
> If I said
> wa' ben Ha'DIbaH vISopbe'pu'
> I didn't eat the meat last year.
> This would be referring to some instance
> in which I was offered meat and refused it.

I understand this; but is there any particular reason you chose to
write {vISopbe'pu'} instead of {vISoppu'be'} ?

mayqel *I love maltz* qunen'oS



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