#tifal

Lingthusiasm Episode 41: This time it gets tense - The grammar of time

How do languages talk about the time when something happens? Of course, we can use words like “yesterday”, “on Tuesday”, “once upon a time”, “now”, or “in a few minutes”. But some languages also require their speakers to use an additional small piece of language to convey time-related information, and this is called tense. 

In this episode of Lingthusiasm, your hosts Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne talk about when some languages obligatorily encode time into their grammar. We look at how linguists go about determining whether a language has tense at all, and if so, how many tenses it has, from two tenses (like English past and non-past), to three tenses (past, present, and future), to further tenses, like remote past and on-the-same-day. 

Click here for a link to this episode in your podcast player of choice or read the transcript here

Announcements: 

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Jakobson quote

Scots Gaelic ‘Faic’ irregular verb

Scots Gaelic ‘Seeing’ noun/adjective

Nominal and adverb tense

Hodiernal tense Wikipedia entry

Tifal language tense

Mandarin grammar Wikipedia entry

Thai verbs Wikipedia entry

Burmese verbs Wikipedia entry

Verb tenses with timelines diagram

Will vs. Going To

Will or Be Going To?

xkcd ‘Writing Skills’

You can listen to this episode via Lingthusiasm.com, Soundcloud, RSS, Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also download an mp3 via the Soundcloud page for offline listening.

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Lingthusiasm is on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Tumblr. Email us at contact [at] lingthusiasm [dot] com

Gretchen is on Twitter as @GretchenAMcC and blogs at All Things Linguistic.

Lauren is on Twitter as @superlinguo and blogs at Superlinguo.

Lingthusiasm is created by Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne. Our senior producer is Claire Gawne, our production editor is Sarah Dopierala, our production manager is Liz McCullough, and our music is ‘Ancient City’ by The Triangles.

The Fruit of the Spirit (TIFAL: Bible NT)

TIFAL: Bible NT

Galatians (Galesia) 5:22-23

22 Lale, God ami Sinik Tambal ami kukup ali kalanolin kaata kanumin o kala kutaltam dakan-umba ali kala bombuu ko. Kaptum kusal iyo olen-dakaayin, fiyaap duumin kukup, aket tem balili-kup kala ilin, akola fanang dik-daa bom weng dinim ilin kukup, aptum kusal dong dakaayin-bam kukup tambal tambal kamayin aye, kukup tambal uyo kewa-laamin daa ti suunkup…

The Armor of God (TIFAL: Bible NT)

TIFAL: Bible NT

Ephesians (Efesis) 6:10-18

10 Nimi weng mafiing mafiing namti kula bokoli disa ke-lokomu. Kemin, ibi Kamokim Yesus Kraist ami diim kawu yak fewa-bilipla, ami titil dukum kaata kuluu-lom ipni dong dakaayin-balala, ipni aket tem kulaaso, kukup uso, iyo titil-foko-bomdiwa yo!

11-12 Kemin, numi waasi dinin kaa tunum fatap iso, dinan-umbup disa. Kemin, sinik mafak kaptamu bom-bilip…

An afterlife for immortality.

He still remembers the Initiation, the day on which he last could breathe, the final few moments that would from then on determine the receptivity humans would grant the gods.

"Zosos is out of control," Miune had warned him. Cloaked in the thin glow of his deity, the fair-haired god had spoken with such defeat already that it had unnerved him. It was hard to believe that any god could lose himself in what made himself; but, spoken with such conviction, Miune had unsettled that belief.

"I will see to it," he had wanted to say. Instead, he had ended up saying only, "We will see what happens."

Amerille had depended on him to keep her and Jevuh safe. Where was his pride as a god, as one of the strongest entities in existence, in his role as protector and life-giver? Was he more of a coward than a human? It threw him from his throne of security more than once.

In the end, it had finished him.

Zosos had wielded the elements with such terror and devastation that he was unable to retaliate. He had let the god carry on so long. Zosos had consumed so much power that it had consumed him; and though quite well unreasonable and mentally shaken, he was still stronger than the best of them.

The traitor had defied all laws. Women and children were to be protected; it was sacred rule! But Zosos had neglected morality and sanity in his rage. Nearly all had perished.

Solacity was the first to go. Next was Miune, ever attempting to rationalize for equality and peace. Countless others fell at a rate that should not have been for immortals. Amerille had implored for him to stop the crazed god, and he had gathered what was left of them -- but he forced her to promise to stay behind to protect their son, and Pataku had refused him. With only Tifal, they were able to weaken their betrayer. The cost was their lives.

With tired eyes and pained cries, he had watched Tifal become destroyed. Gazing up at their eternity, he remembered the voice of Zosos, mocking and shrill, renouncing godhood and embracing death.

"I will bestow my gift upon you," were the last words he had heard.

Yet somehow, he found himself thinking not of Zosos' wrongdoings, but that if only Pataku had helped them, they might have had success. Why did she betray their cause?