Tense

[Linda Cumberland]

Hi Bob,

>
> I'll generate a .pdf file and email it if that's OK.
> The paper is about the Quapaw language, but the
> statements/arguments work just about as well for
> Dakotan too.

I'd like a copy, too, please.

Re: conditionals:

> You'll
> > > also get it with conditionals, modals 'may, might'
> and
> > > other utterances that make it clear that what it
> really
> > > marks is 'irrealis mode'.  It just marks something
> that
> > > hasn't actually happened.


In Assiniboine the conditionals are followed by tukha, and as far as I
can tell, it's obligatory for this meaning. (I assume this is Lak.
tkha, but it's not reduced in Asb).  Examples:

wana na=kta tukha           'you should go now'

zhe nowaN=kta tukha         'he was supposed to sing (but he didn't)'

mihiNkna hi=kta tukha       'my husband should have come (by now)'

xtanihaN maghazhu=kta tukha 'it was supposed to rain yesterday'

Then there's the contrasting set:

nakhon?i?a=kta chiNka       'he wants to learn Nakoda'

nakhon?i?a=kta wachiNka tukha  'he wants to learn Nakoda (but it's
doubtful that he will)'

Linda