zero-marked verbs

[jaw300t]

>===== Original Message From Mikael Parkvall <parkvall at LING.SU.SE> =====
>Regarding Janet Wilsons posting on Kuche:
>
>What about mood? Are any modal categories by any chance (semi-)obligatory?

Mood is not often marked, but it seems to participate in the same kind of
TAM-spreading as the other overtly marked verb categories.  For instance,
conditional clauses are marked by a serial verb construction, but if there are
several conditions, only the first one is marked.  I have only identified 3
overt markers that are specifically mood:  imperative (bare verb), conditional
(the serial verb construction I mentioned), and a prefix bi- that seems to
mean "should".
>
>I recall from reading grammars on Nigerian languages once upon a time that
>some of them seemed to be more keen on grammaticalising such distinctions
>than those relating to tense or aspect.
>
>Also, although there may certainly be quite a few more out there, I know of
>only one language (Mai Brat of western New Guinea) which lack obligatory or
>otherwise highly grammaticalised marking in all three domains (T, M and A).
>It would be interesting to learn more about such langauges and how
>(un)common such a state of affairs may be.

>
>
>Mikael Parkvall
>Institutionen för lingvistik
>Stockholms Universitet
>SE-10691 STOCKHOLM
>(rum 276)
>
>+46 (0)8 16 14 41, +46 (0)8 656 68 24 (hem)
>Fax: +46 (0)8 15 53 89
>
>parkvall at ling.su.se