Aspect: aspect
| Values: | aor | imp | perf | pfv |
In Beja, aspect is an inflexionnal feature of verbs, auxiliaries and verbal affixes/clitics (see SCONJ, PART) that specifies the duration and completion of processes in time.
Aor: aorist
The aorist expresses semantic values of habituality, repetition, general truth and anteriority. It can also be also used in backgrounded contexts, and for the expression of a wish. It is not time referenced.
Example
- hoː =b hoːsoː ʃʔag -aː =b =u uː= tak // ʔasal -aː =b iː- kti =jeːb / “The man was carrying on his shoulder a lamb that he had grilled.”
Imp: imperfective
The imperfective marks an unbounded process or state, seen from the point of view of its unfolding and not as a bounded or completed event. It can be used in any temporal context, past, present or future.
Example
- uːn uː= tak / doːr han kan -aː =ji ki= i- ki / ti= takat hiːs =heːb =ajt // “this man had not even recognized me because he thought I was the woman.”
Perf: perfect
The perfect has a resultative value. The process or state is considered as having an impact on the moment of enunciation or another moment given by the context.
Example
- kak jʔ -aː =b =wa ? “how have you come ?”
Pfv: perfective
The perfective marks a bounded process or state, independently of any temporal benchmark.
Example
- tak / kaːm =i / hoː kʷiɖ -ja i- ni // “A man said: ‘My camel disappeared.’ “
Aspect in other languages: [arr] [bej] [bg] [bm] [bor] [cs] [el] [eme] [ga] [gn] [gub] [ha] [hu] [hy] [hyw] [jaa] [ka] [ky] [la] [mdf] [myu] [myv] [nci] [pcm] [ps] [qpm] [ru] [say] [sl] [tpn] [tr] [tt] [u] [uk] [urb] [urj] [xcl] [yrl]