Subjunctive as 'Consecutive' marker

[Frank Seidel]

Dear Colleagues,

I have worked (or am working) descriptively on two non-related African
languages (Yeyi, Bantu) and (Nalu, Atlantic) and in both languages I have
found a marker that works subjunctively, e.g. it appears in subordinate
sentences expressing purpose, wishes, necessity etc. and it can be used to
form polite directives or obligatives.

Interestingly to me, the same marker appears in narrative texts used as a
dependent 'tense' marker, i.e. it orders events consecutively to a (usually
aforementioned) event. In other words, it appears on predicates that encode
consecutive events after a baseline time of reference has been established,
usually by a previous explicitly TAM marked predicate. It basically adds the
meaning 'and then' to the proposition (see example below).
I am interested, if anybody working on languages outside of Africa has ever
come across such an overlap between subjunctive and narrative functions.
However, comments about other African languages are also highly welcome.

[Please note that the glossing for Nalu is still preliminary, since i have
just started decoding Nalu grammar.]

[For people who wonder about a marker *ku-* being designated as a
subjunctive in a Bantu language, please note that Yeyi also features the
more typically Bantu suffix *-e* to mark the subjunctive. In contrast to the
'consecutive tense' *ku-* illustrated below this subjunctive form does not
appear as a 'consecutive tense'. If *ku-* is used subjunctively it bears
habitual meaning that is best rendered as 'always' or 'continually' in
English. I have included a contrast below after the narrative example on
Yeyi]

Thanks to all of you in advance for your comments.

*NALU:*

möö

b-am

yek-aa

nèè

DEM

PAST-1sg

say-3sg

that

That one said (it) to me that:



"... Ma-*ti*

koy

nèè

m-ba

ka

m-caama

3s-*SUBJ*

be(LOC)

that

CL1-thing

POSS

CL1-money

k-aa

rangje-ngah









PRES-3s

arrange-?









... If it is that the thing of money arranges it,












mö

bi

k-aa

rangje-ngah

DEM

1pl

PRES-3s

arrange-?

so we will arrange it.



Ma-*ti*

koy

nèè

m-ba

naan

k-aa

3s-*SUBJ?*

be(LOC)

that

CL1-thing

as well

PRES-3s

rangje-ngah











arrange-?











If it is that another thing arranges it,











mö

bi

k-aa

rangje-ngah

DEM

1pl

PRES-3s

arrange-?

so we will arrange it.



min

*ti*

yek

nèè

"wah

ma-koy"

1s.PP

*CONS*

say

that

"DEM(manner)

3s-be(LOC)

And then I said that: "That way, it is."
  *
YEYI:*

Ba-ruku-yis-a

zu-luwa,

ba-ku-ti-p-a.

Ta-ku-ly-a.

Ta-ku-ly-a.

3p-PPst-take-a

8-food

3p-*Cons*-3p-give-a

1p-*Cons*-eat-a

1p-*Cons*-eat-a

Ta-ku-ly-a.

Ta-ruku-man-a.

Ta-ku-khwam-a.

Ma-ncehumu

ba-ruku-tikya

1p-Cons-eat-a

1p-PPast-finsih-a

1p-Cons-sleep-a

6-morning

3p-Past-say

"Tw-end-e,

tu-nu-thwer-e."







1p-go-Subj

1p-2p-show_way-Subj







They took the food, and gave it to us. And we ate, and ate, and ate. We
finished, and then we slept. In the morining they said: "Let's go, let's
take you (to the workplace)"

*ku-* and *-e *in Yeyi

(933) (Textual example)

U-ku-siy-a

ku-shit-a

akyo'o

ba-nyana.

2s-Cons-leave-a

Inf-refuse-a

like_that

2-man

You should not continually refuse men like that.

(Elicited example)

(934)

U-siy-e

ku-shit-a

akyo'o

ba-nyana.



2s-leave-Subj

Inf-refuse-a

like_that

2-man



You should not refuse men like that.
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