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. The aspect marker ÈÞ aahu (cf. § 3.615) is often
used to indicate that the action of the main verb to which it is attached is
the `expected result'. Thus, a sentence like ؽÔöÓ¥ Âÿ»Ô«ß poost vandaaccu means `the mail has come, as was expected', or `the mail finally
came'.
When the modal ᣠnum `must' is affixed to a verb marked
with the aspect marker ÈÞ aahu, the construction means `x MUST happen because y expects it' and thus indicates that a great deal of
certainty or definiteness is involved. This is perhaps equivalent to the
English adverb `absolutely' rather than `definitely', i.e. `You absolutely
have to come' (for many speakers) is more definite than `You definitely have
to come'. Compare:
- ¼Öõ´ ÂÀᣠniinga varanum `You must come'
- ¼Öõ´ Âÿ»Õ¹á£ niinga vandidanum `You definitely
must come'
- ¼Öõ´ Âÿ»Ô´á£ niinga vandaahanum `You absolutely must come'
Since ÈÞ aahu is an aspect marker, it is added to the PAST stem (the AVP) of the verb.
Vasu Renganathan
Sat Nov 2 21:16:08 EST 1996