Dhegiha Progressive (Re: h- vs. x-aspiration in LDN)

[Koontz John E]

On Tue, 27 Feb 2001, Kathleen Shea wrote:
> > > On Sun, 25 Feb 2001, Kathleen Shea wrote:
> >
> > > a~'b(a) akha' ma~xpi'i  (AN'ba akHa' maNxpi'i.)    'The day is cloudy.'
> (PW
> > > says this is like a warning, i.e. to take a coat.)
> > > a~'b(a) akha' ma~xpi' akha'  (AN'ba akHa' maNxpi' akHa'.)  'It's cloudy
> out
> > > there, here.'  (PW says that it's as though you
> > > just noticed or just stepped outside and noticed.)
> >
> > > a~'ba the kke'dha  (AN'ba tHe ke'tha.)  'It's clear; today is clear.'
> > > a~ba' akha kke'dha akha  (ANba' akHa ke'tha akHa.)  'It's clear out
> there.'
> > > (just noticed)
> >
> Yes, but the examples where the auxiliary akha is present after the verb
> (ma~xpi 'be cloudy'; kkedha 'be clear') Dhegihanists usually call
> "progressive," when they seem to me to be sudden, perhaps "momentaneous" in
> aspect.  (At least it's a suddenly perceived state on the part of the
> speaker.)

The perception may be sudden, but the difference seems to be that in these
examples the condition of the weather is background to the person being
outside and perhaps noticing the weather (the thread of the discourse),
whereas in the others it is the main thread of the discourse.  At least
that's the way I interpret the contextualization that PW offers.  That
analysis is also typical of the opposition between imperfective and
perfective in discourse-based analyses of their functions.

It would be interesting to know how to say '(In the evening) it got
cloudy.' (vs. 'In the evening it was cloudy.') or 'It kept clouding
up (and then clearing).' or 'Suddenly it was cloudy (or clouded up).'

JEK