[Lingtyp] the favorative clitic

[Christian Lehmann]

Here is a Cabecar clitic with which I have been struggling for years: 
The mobile enclitic /pa/ attaches to almost any constituent in a clause 
S at almost any position and conveys something like 'S is/would be 
good/better/convenient/desirable'. The translation difference between 
'is' and 'would be' depends on the mood of the verb of S.

With the indicative:

 1.

    I ks-á=jka=pa.

3 sing-pfv=atp=fav

             ‘Appropriately enough, he already sang.’

 1.

    Ká yís dä jawá kú̱na̱=pa=ba.

neg 1.sg cop healer n.val=fav=acp

             ‘I am not yet a healer (as would be desirable).’

With the subjunctive:

 1.

    S’ kí̱s-ö́=pa bá kú̱ bë́rbë́na̱ !

1.sg wait-sbj=fav2.sg erg for.a.while

             ‘Please wait a moment for me !’

 1.

    Kë́i bak-ó̱-n-ó̱=pa !

neg 3 take.away-sbj-mid-sbj=fav

             ‘Let it not be taken away !’

In a subordinate clause:

 1.

    Ma̱kú̱ jé w-ó̱=pa kí̱=ka, bá së́-r=mi̱räbáá.

[2.sg erg d.med do1-sbj=favsup=lat] 2.sg feel:non-mid(ipfv)=pot tsa nice

             ‘Onceyou would have convenientlydonethat, you might have 
feltgood.’

In an interrogative sentence:

 1.

    … i te i sh-á=ká̱ ijé wä́=na̠ i juë́-n-á̱=pa jé=ra ...

3 erg3 say-pfv=asc[3.psface=in3 see2-mid=favd.med=tmp]

             ‘…they added: “Does he perhaps know?”...’ (Historia p. 8)

The subjunctive sentences would be imperatives and jussives without /pa/ 
and are attenuated by it. I have never seen such a thing before; and 
since it is so unfamiliar, I cannot even translate it well into English. 
I had at first called it 'optative'. There is, however, a different 
particle with illocutionary force which converts a subjunctive sentence 
into an optative sentence ('Would that S!'), where S may or may not 
contain /pa/.

I don't expect anybody to come up with an analysis of /pa/ on the basis 
of the above examples. My question is: Has anybody ever seen such a 
thing? And if so, how did you call it? I am not particularly happy with 
my (or rather, my coauthor Guillermo's) most recent neologism 'favorative'.

-- 

Prof. em. Dr. Christian Lehmann
Rudolfstr. 4
99092 Erfurt
Deutschland

Tel.: 	+49/361/2113417
E-Post: 	christianw_lehmann at arcor.de
Web: 	https://www.christianlehmann.eu
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