jeff_l
(Jeff_L)
#1
664 13 Clausal subordination
More elaborate constructions with a "real" head noun like aelwasqq '(point
in) time' are also common. This requires a full-fledged definite relative clause,
with Comit -\d, as usual in spatiotemporals.
(787) a. aelwasqq [w-a-\d i-mmu-t],
time [Ma-Dem.Sg-\Comit 3MaSgS-die-Aug],
n-ajla
lSgS-go.away.PerfP
'When he died, we went away.' [T-ka]
b. aelwasqq [wa-\d-hl i-nhasy]
time [Ma-Dem.Sg-\Comit-\lSgO 3MaSgS-see.PerfP]
'when he sees me,...' [K-d]
The properly spatial construction with d-i-hd-\d ... 'here where ...' (the -\d
is omitted in the presence of another clitic) is also used in temporal contexts
'when ...'; see §13.1.2, below for examples. One can expand this by adding a
head noun ajud (cf. noun s-jud 'point in time') (788). ajud usually means 'if
...' (§13.9), but 'if...' and adverbial 'when ...' overlap pragmatically.
(788) a. ajud d-i-h<S-\d...
time Dem-Dem-Prox-\Comit
'when (=the time at which)...'
b. [d-i-ha-\h3-nasT att-smael-aen
[Dem-Dem-Prox-\Dat-lPlPass-praise.PerfP-3MaPlS
O-s-üdar [e 0-razzej-aen] rds]
Pl-Instr-staple [Dat Pl-animal-MaPl] only]
α n-akka
Foe lPlS-go.Reslt
'(In the desert) where staple foods are praised (=excellent) for
our livestock, there [focus] is where we go.'
Clause-initial ed is sometimes translated 'because' (see §13.2.2), but it can
also occur in contexts where temporal association, rather than causality as
such, is foregrounded. The temporal context is more general than with a-\s or
aelwasqq w-a-\d, and 'whenever ...' is often the most revealing gloss. The
ablaut behavior of the verb indicates that this is treated as a definite relative
clause, and I described the construction above under the rubric of generalized
relatives in §12.1.6.4. Example (741.c) is repeated here as (789).
(789) [ed i-ksd], ad 0-aens
[when 3MaSgS-eat.Reslt], Fut 3MaSgS-lie.down.ShImpf
'When(-ever) he has eaten, he'll lie down (to rest or sleep).' [K-d]
