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Chlouvānem/Syntax: Difference between revisions
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→Past and perfect
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#: train.station-<small>LOC.SG</small>. yesterday. eat-<small>IND.PAST.1SG.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small> while. – that.<small>DIR</small>. train.<small>DIR.SG</small>. arrive-<small>IND.PAST.3SG.EXTERIOR.PATIENT</small>. | #: train.station-<small>LOC.SG</small>. yesterday. eat-<small>IND.PAST.1SG.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small> while. – that.<small>DIR</small>. train.<small>DIR.SG</small>. arrive-<small>IND.PAST.3SG.EXTERIOR.PATIENT</small>. | ||
#: I was eating at the station yesterday when the train arrived. | #: I was eating at the station yesterday when the train arrived. | ||
# ''jāyim | # ''jāyim palyu junikte : ni nenichladirya meinei muṣkemālchek.'' | ||
#: girl.<small>DIR.SG</small>. face-<small>ACC.SG</small>. paint-<small>IND.PAST.3SG.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small>. – but. hurry-<small>SUBJ.IMPF.3SG.INTERIOR</small>. mother-<small>ERG.SG</small>. ask-<small>INF</small>-run.<small>MULTIDIR-IND.PAST.3SG.EXTERIOR.PATIENT</small>. | #: girl.<small>DIR.SG</small>. face-<small>ACC.SG</small>. paint-<small>IND.PAST.3SG.EXTERIOR-AGENT</small>. – but. hurry-<small>SUBJ.IMPF.3SG.INTERIOR</small>. mother-<small>ERG.SG</small>. ask-<small>INF</small>-run.<small>MULTIDIR-IND.PAST.3SG.EXTERIOR.PATIENT</small>. | ||
#: The girl was painting her [own] face, but her mother kept asking her to hurry. | #: The girl was painting her [own] face, but her mother kept asking her to hurry. | ||
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The main use of the '''perfect''' is expressing something that happened in the past but is still impacting the present; this is a difference very similar to the one between simple past and present perfect in English, and as such the perfect is usually translated that way. Compare, for example: | The main use of the '''perfect''' is expressing something that happened in the past but is still impacting the present; this is a difference very similar to the one between simple past and present perfect in English, and as such the perfect is usually translated that way. Compare, for example: | ||
* ''jāyim | * ''jāyim palyu junikte'' - “the girl painted her [own] face”. Past tense here expresses a generic action: the girl may have painted her face ten years or five minutes ago, but that is irrelevant to the situation. In this particular sentence, the girl’s face may be understood to have now been cleaned, or that she may have cleaned and painted her face again many times - but, actually, whether she did or didn’t is now irrelevant. The actual time when she did it only becomes relevant if it is expressed (e.g. ''palyas jāyim lære junirek'' “the girl painted her [own] face yesterday”) and then it is understood that her face isn’t painted anymore. | ||
* ''jāyim | * ''jāyim palyu ujunirāte'' - “the girl has painted her [own] face”. Perfect “tense” here focusses not on the action, but on its result. The girl finished painting her face, and it may be seen that her face is still painted - when she did is still irrelevant, but it happened sufficiently close in time that the result of that action may still be seen. | ||
The Chlouvānem perfect, however, has a broader use than the English one, compare: | The Chlouvānem perfect, however, has a broader use than the English one, compare: | ||
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Note that the “impact on the present” meaning and the use of evidentials are independent from each other. Using a first inferential, for example, does not change the implications given by the use of perfect or past, though the actual interpretation is often heavily dependent from context: | Note that the “impact on the present” meaning and the use of evidentials are independent from each other. Using a first inferential, for example, does not change the implications given by the use of perfect or past, though the actual interpretation is often heavily dependent from context: | ||
* ''jāyim | * ''jāyim palyu juniroste'' - “apparently, the girl painted her [own] face”. Past tense: it can be assumed that the girl painted her own face sometime in the past; e.g. the girl is now painting her face, and given the way she does it, it’s reasonable to believe it’s not her first time. | ||
* ''jāyim | * ''jāyim palyu ujunirṇate'' - “apparently, the girl has painted her [own] face”. Perfect “tense”: it can be assumed that the girl now has a painted face, but the speaker has not seen her; e.g. in her room there are face painting colours open or that look like they’ve been recently used. | ||
The second inferential changes the speaker’s deduction, but not the implications given by tenses: | The second inferential changes the speaker’s deduction, but not the implications given by tenses: | ||
: ''jāyim | : ''jāyim palyu junirākoste'' - “apparently, the girl painted her [own] face, but probably didn’t”. Past tense: as before, but while she, or something she did, had made the speaker believe she had already painted her face at least once in the past, the way she’s doing it makes think that she probably never did. | ||
: ''jāyim | : ''jāyim palyu ujunirākate'' - “apparently, the girl has painted her [own] face, but probably didn’t”. Perfect “tense”: as before; highly dependent on context. For example, there are face painting colours out of place, but it’s unlikely she did paint her face - e.g. it may not be a logical time to do it, or too little colour seems to have been used. | ||
The Chlouvānem perfect is however also used where English would use ''past perfect'' or ''future perfect'', as the “impact on the present” is understood to be on the time the main action in the sentence takes place, thus something that happened earlier is considered to have an impact on it: | The Chlouvānem perfect is however also used where English would use ''past perfect'' or ''future perfect'', as the “impact on the present” is understood to be on the time the main action in the sentence takes place, thus something that happened earlier is considered to have an impact on it: | ||