Tightness of Link between Progressive Marker and Verb (Feature 46)
From Apics
Navigation: ← prev | next → | Overview | Feature Areas | Socioling. Features
Feature Annotation
This feature asks how tightly combined the (overt) progressive marker and the verb form are, especially which elements (if any) may intervene between the progressive marker and the verb.
A progressive marker is a marker that refers to ongoing activities, as for instance in English she is working. It does not matter whether this marker has other functions; in this sense, the French present tense elle travaille ‘she is working, she works’ is also a progressive, although it fulfills other functions (present habitual etc.). However, this construction does not have an overt marker in French.
If your language has no progressive marker, please choose value 6.
Additional remarks
Please note that if the progressive marker is an auxiliary (e.g. Tok Pisin i stap), this should count as "particle" (as opposed to "affix"). And if there are two different progressive markers in the language, please count the more grammaticalized one, which in most cases will also be the one that is more frequently used. Finally, if the progressive marker consists of two parts (e.g. English is work-ing) that exhibit different link tightness, please count the one that is more tightly linked.
Values
| Value | Value Annotation | |
| 1 | Progressive marker is a (phonologically fused) affix | Nothing can intervene between progressive marker and verb stem, and the past marker is part of the verb word: Norf'k Muun miek-en [Moon wax-prog] ‘The moon is waxing.’ |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Progressive marker is a particle, but nothing can intervene | Juba Arabic Úo ge ágra. ‘He is studying.’ |
| 3 | Progressive marker is a particle, only grammatical markers can intervene | Grammatical markers such as pronouns or negative, aspect and mood markers can come between the past marker and the verb: Vincentian wen aawi a go si yo [when we prog fut see you] ‘When will we see you?’ |
| 4 | Progressive marker is a particle, a few lexical items can intervene | Especially temporal adverbs can come between the past marker and the verb in some languages: Papiamentu Wenchi ta blo pensa riba Chalito. [Wenchi prog just think about Chalito] ’Wenchi is just thinking of Chalito.’ |
| 5 | Progressive marker is a particle, open-class items can intervene | Noun phrases or adpositional phrases may come between the past marker and the verb. |
| 6 | No progressive marker exists | |
WALS No.
(None)
