[Lingtyp] the favorative clitic

[Siva Kalyan]

This sounds like the opposite of the Japanese -te shimau construction (a “disfavorative”?).

Siva

> On 12 Sep 2023, at 7:04 pm, Christian Lehmann <christian.lehmann at uni-erfurt.de> wrote:
> 
> 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:
> I ks-á=jka=pa.
> 
> 3 sing-pfv=atp=fav
> 
>             ‘Appropriately enough, he already sang.’
> 
> 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:
> S’ kí̱s-ö́=pa bá kú̱ bë́rbë́na̱ !
> 
> 1.sg wait-sbj=fav 2.sg erg for.a.while
> 
>             ‘Please wait a moment for me !’
> 
> Kë́ i bak-ó̱-n-ó̱=pa !
> 
> neg 3 take.away-sbj-mid-sbj=fav
> 
>             ‘Let it not be taken away !’
> 
> In a subordinate clause:
> 
> Ma̱ kú̱ jé w-ó̱=pa kí̱=ka, bá së́-r=mi̱ rä báá.
> 
> [2.sg erg d.med do1-sbj=fav sup=lat] 2.sg feel:non-mid(ipfv)=pot tsa nice
> 
>             ‘Once you would have conveniently done that, you might have felt good.’
> 
> In an interrogative sentence:
> 
> … i te i sh-á=ká̱  ijé wä́=na̠ i juë́-n-á̱=pa jé=ra ...
> 
> 3 erg 3 say-pfv=asc [3.ps face=in 3 see2-mid=fav d.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
> 
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