Thursday, December 18, 2014

Detail #131: Modal Shenanigans

Imagine a language with certain verbs which in the present tense all have modal implications:
irðin - I am able to reach somewhere in time, complete a task in time or similar
irðut - I have reached somewhere in time, or completed a task in time or similar
karpan - I have the physical strength to do something, I am capable of performing this or that physical thing
karput - I succeeded in carrying out something that took considerable physical effort
ðartin - I like this or that person, to the extent that I would assist him or her
ðartut - I assisted this or that person 

This language normally has a rich modal verb marking system with different irrealis moods such as potential, conditional, etc. However, verbs that have an implicit mood of this type do not mark for that implicit mood at all, but on the other hand - the past tense turns them into 'real' moods. Thus, the present tense also becomes a past tense non-indicative, etc.

(Inspired slightly by the behavior, from a purely semantic point of view, of the Swedish verb 'att hinna', viz. 'to have the time to do something, to be on time, etc', whose meaning could be described as tending to be slightly different in the past than in the present - i.e. the 'to have time to do something' more often appears in the present than in the past, 'to be on time' very seldom is present (but it can be future - which of course morphologically is not distinct from present).)

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