Chapter 9. The perfect in North-Eastern Neo-Aramaic
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Geoffrey Khan
Abstract
This paper describes the form and function of the perfect in the North-Eastern Neo-Aramaic (NENA) dialects, a highly diverse subgroup of Neo-Aramaic originally spoken east of the Tigris river. After a short description of the expression of the perfective in § 1, a detailed classification of the various forms of the perfect is presented in § 2. Many of these forms have developed under the influence of the verbal system of Iranian languages of the area (§ 3). The perfect in NENA has a wide range of functions, some of them not commonly documented elsewhere, such as the use of the perfect to express the remote past and its use in presuppositional contexts (§ 4). Some of these functions have parallels in the function of the perfect in Iranian languages in contact with NENA (§ 5). Finally, an analysis is given of the NENA perfect within a Reichenbachian framework (§ 6). The common denominator of the diverse functions of the NENA perfect is the fact that the event is viewed from an indirect reference point and as a result the event is defocalized. The separation between the event and the reference point (e < r), which is the hallmark of the perfect, need not be temporal distance, but may be cognitive distance from the focus of attention due to the presuppositional information status of the event.
Abstract
This paper describes the form and function of the perfect in the North-Eastern Neo-Aramaic (NENA) dialects, a highly diverse subgroup of Neo-Aramaic originally spoken east of the Tigris river. After a short description of the expression of the perfective in § 1, a detailed classification of the various forms of the perfect is presented in § 2. Many of these forms have developed under the influence of the verbal system of Iranian languages of the area (§ 3). The perfect in NENA has a wide range of functions, some of them not commonly documented elsewhere, such as the use of the perfect to express the remote past and its use in presuppositional contexts (§ 4). Some of these functions have parallels in the function of the perfect in Iranian languages in contact with NENA (§ 5). Finally, an analysis is given of the NENA perfect within a Reichenbachian framework (§ 6). The common denominator of the diverse functions of the NENA perfect is the fact that the event is viewed from an indirect reference point and as a result the event is defocalized. The separation between the event and the reference point (e < r), which is the hallmark of the perfect, need not be temporal distance, but may be cognitive distance from the focus of attention due to the presuppositional information status of the event.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Editors’ foreword vii
- Abbreviations xi
- Chapter 1. Introduction 1
- Chapter 2. The development of the perfect within IE verbal systems 15
- Chapter 3. Celtic past tenses past and present 49
- Chapter 4. The development of the perfect in selected Middle and New Germanic languages 95
- Chapter 5. Perfects in Baltic and Slavic 123
- Chapter 6. Paradigmatisation of the perfect and resultative in Tocharian 215
- Chapter 7. The synthetic perfect from Indo-Iranian to Late Vedic 245
- Chapter 8. The perfect in Middle and New Iranian languages 279
- Chapter 9. The perfect in North-Eastern Neo-Aramaic 311
- Chapter 10. The perfect in Classical Armenian 351
- Chapter 11. The Hittite periphrastic perfect 377
- Chapter 12. The Gothic perfective constructions in contrast to West Germanic 411
- Chapter 13. The perfect system in Ancient Greek 435
- Chapter 14. The perfect in Medieval and Modern Greek 483
- Chapter 15. The perfect system of Old Albanian (Geg variety) 505
- Chapter 16. The perfect system in Latin 549
- Chapter 17. Calquing a quirk 591
- Chapter 18. The perfect in context in texts in English, Sistani Balochi and New Testament Greek 615
- Chapter 19. Indo-European perfects in typological perspective 635
- Language Index 669
- Subject Index 675
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Editors’ foreword vii
- Abbreviations xi
- Chapter 1. Introduction 1
- Chapter 2. The development of the perfect within IE verbal systems 15
- Chapter 3. Celtic past tenses past and present 49
- Chapter 4. The development of the perfect in selected Middle and New Germanic languages 95
- Chapter 5. Perfects in Baltic and Slavic 123
- Chapter 6. Paradigmatisation of the perfect and resultative in Tocharian 215
- Chapter 7. The synthetic perfect from Indo-Iranian to Late Vedic 245
- Chapter 8. The perfect in Middle and New Iranian languages 279
- Chapter 9. The perfect in North-Eastern Neo-Aramaic 311
- Chapter 10. The perfect in Classical Armenian 351
- Chapter 11. The Hittite periphrastic perfect 377
- Chapter 12. The Gothic perfective constructions in contrast to West Germanic 411
- Chapter 13. The perfect system in Ancient Greek 435
- Chapter 14. The perfect in Medieval and Modern Greek 483
- Chapter 15. The perfect system of Old Albanian (Geg variety) 505
- Chapter 16. The perfect system in Latin 549
- Chapter 17. Calquing a quirk 591
- Chapter 18. The perfect in context in texts in English, Sistani Balochi and New Testament Greek 615
- Chapter 19. Indo-European perfects in typological perspective 635
- Language Index 669
- Subject Index 675
