Aspect Markers and Inchoative Meaning (Feature 52)
From Apics
Navigation: ← prev | next → | Overview | Feature Areas | Socioling. Features
Feature Annotation
In many creole languages, whenwords (verbs or adjectives) denoting physical and psychological states such as ‘ripe’, ‘sick’, ‘fat’, ‘red’ are combined with progressive or completive aspect markers, they can take on an inchoative meaning (i.e. a sense of becoming).
Progressive marker:
Eastern Maroon Creoles
Den manyan e lepi.
det mango prog ripe
‘The mangoes are ripening (= becoming).’
Completive marker:
Nigerian Pidgin
À don sik.
I compl sick
‘I have become sick.’
Additional remarks
....
Values
| Value | Value Annotation | |
| 1 | No inchoative meaning with aspect markers | English: *The fruit is being ripe; *The apple has been red (in inchoative sense) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Progressive marker with state word yields inchoative meaning | Eastern Maroon Creoles Den manyan e lepi. [det mango prog ripe] 'The mangoes are ripening.’ |
| 3 | Completive marker with state word yields inchoative meaning | Nigerian Pidgin À don sik. [I compl sick] ‘I have become sick.’ |
| 4 | Both progressive and completive marker with state word yields inchoative meaning | |
WALS No.
(None)
