Continuous vs. Repetitive inflection in ASL

[Karlin, Ben]

I try to keep quiet on this list because everyone else knows so much more
than I do but I have a sense that these sentences would not occur naturally.
There would need to be a distributive aspect added to indicate a variety of
victims as it is impossible to kill someone (or something) more than once.
The only way to KILL-cont would be to kill by degrees, as in torturing
someone to death and then it would be indicated still as a single movement
without repetition.

See why I bite my tongue (and fingernails)?
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ben Karlin      <KARLIB at mail.dmh.state.mo.us>
Staff Interpreter for the Deaf, St Louis Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center



> Date:    Fri, 7 May 1999 06:02:53 -0700
> From:    becker <rbecker at POPMAIL.UCSD.EDU>
> Subject: Continuous vs. Repetitive inflection in ASL
>
> Hi All!
> I was just wondering if anyone had a feeling about the difference between
> continuous and repetitive inflections in ASL with signs such as 'kill'
>
> For example, what would be the difference semantically if I were to sign:
>
> 1. THE MAN KILLED-rep
>
> 2. THE MAN KILLED-cont
>
> The same question would apply to verbs like, ASK, KISS, etc. Any verbs
that
> are inherently bounded in time.
>
> Any info would be most appreciated!
> Robin Becker
>