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Is there a morphologically marked distinction between simultaneous and sequential clauses?
Summary
This question is concerned with whether there is an overt marker dedicated to signaling the distinction between temporally simultaneous and sequential actions. If sequential meaning is a secondary function of an imperfective aspect this does not count; it must be indicated by a devoted marker. The language does not need to express both sequential and simultaneous temporal relationships overtly; one marker devoted to either function is sufficient to trigger a 1.
Procedure
- If there is a marker on the verb that indicates that the event described in an adjacent clause is temporally simultaneous with the marked clause, code 1.
- If there is a marker on the verb that indicates that the event described in an adjacent clause is temporally sequential with the marked clause, code 1.
- If clauses or verbs are combined in a way (e.g. through subordination) that implies sequential or simultaneous action and no overt verb marker is dedicated to this distinction, code 0.
- If simultaneous or sequential temporal relationships are implied through the use of imperfective aspect or adverbial elements other than a dedicated verbal marker, code 0.
Examples
Southeastern Pomo (ISO 639-3: pom, Glottolog: sout2982)
Southeastern Pomo uses different markers on the verb to signal whether the action expressed by the following verb form happened in sequence with the action of the first verb, or simultaneous with the first verb.
Simultaneous: -day
a. yiwi Ɂa sca-day sma-n q'lal-ya
3SG 1SG be.there-SIM sleep get-PFV
‘He fell asleep while I was there.’ (Moshinsky 1974: 76)
b. Ɂa wit xbac'-day x̣ol-o-di-t
1SG 1SG.OBJ ask-SIM hither-travel-POT-IPFV
‘I’ll come when he asks me.’ (Moshinsky 1974: 76)
Sequential: -fla
c. Ɂa x̣ol-o-fla qnak'-ya
1SG hither-travel-SEQ fall.asleep-PFV
‘He fell asleep after I came.’
d. yiwi yoq-fla bxe ṭlaq-ya
3SG shoot-SEQ deer fall.over-PFV
‘After he shot it, the deer fell over.’ (Moshinsky 1974: 76)
Southeastern Pomo would be coded 1 because the temporal relationship between sequential events is marked by a suffix on the verb. There is also a marker on the verb to indicate simultaneous events. However, this language would still be coded 1 if only one of these temporal relationship markers existed.
Further reading
Dooley, Robert A. 2010. Exploring clause chaining. SIL Electronic Working Papers 2010-001. Dallas: SIL International.
Toosarvandani, Maziar. 2016. The temporal interpretation of clause chaining in Northern Paiute. Language 92(4). 850–889.
References
Moshinsky, Julius. 1974. A grammar of Southeastern Pomo. (University of California Publications in Linguistics, 72.) Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.
Related Features
- GB150 Is there clause chaining?
- GB151 Is there an overt verb marker dedicated to signaling coreference or noncoreference between the subject of one clause and an argument of an adjacent clause (‘switch reference’)?
Patron
Hannah J. Haynie