habitual aspect

[P}l Kristian Eriksen]

 Dear colleagues,

   In many European languages there is a formal opposition between a
synthetic and an analytic verb form, which corresponds to an aspectual
opposition at the level of semantics. The common pattern seems to be that
an analytic form consisting of an imperfective participle or gerund,
and with a copular verb or existential verb as its auxiliary, expresses
progressive aspect, e.g. English "I am eating", Italian "Sto mangiando",
etc..

   The synthetic counterpart sometimes expresses the non-progressive,
which incorporates both perfective and habitual readings, e.g. English
"I ate a hamburger (every day, or there and then)". Other times it excludes
the perfective reading, but is unmarked as far as the habitual-progressive
opposition is concerned, e.g. Italian "Mangiavo una pizza" (which can be
used together with a phrase meaning "every day", or a as a progressive with
the meaning "I was eating a pizza.") One common feature is that the
synthetic forms always allows a habitual reading.

   My question is if you are aware of languages in which there is a
similar formal opposition, but with the converse semantic opposition. This
would ideally be a language where a synthetic form renders progressive
aspect, whereas an analytic construction of the same form as the one found
in European languages renders habitual aspect. I would, however, be happy
for examples of any language that expresses habitual aspect by the use of
an analytic construction with a copular verb or an existential/positional/
locational verb as its auxiliary.

   Many thanks in advance,


   Paal Kr. Eriksen