Datapoint Kriol/Negation and tense, aspect, and mood marking

There is only one way in which tense/aspect marking is reduced in negative clauses – negation is not compatibel with the past habitual marker yusdu~yustu. The special negative marker neba without tense marking is used in habitual past contexts (although it is not restricted to habitual contexts). Combinations of mood marking and negation were not investigated in detail.

Values

Reduced TAM marking in negated clauses

Example 25-108:
Ai nomo bin jabi yu bin go, Nangari.
Ai
1sg
nomo
neg
bin
pst
jabi
know
yu
2sg
bin
pst
go,
go
Nangari.
Nangari
I didn’t know that you went away, Nangari.
Example 25-111:
Olabat nomo sabi slip.
Olabat
3pl
nomo
neg
sabi
know
slip.
sleep
They don't [know how to] sleep. (Referring to young people who are making noise in the night)
Example 25-230:
Thed kainoba song na, wi neba bin askimbat alabat, dem olpipul.
Thed
dem
kainoba
kind.of.a
song
song
na,
now/foc
wi
1pl
neba
neg2
bin
pst
ask-im-bat
ask-tr-prog
alabat,
3pl
dem
dem.pl
olpipul.
old.people
That kind of song, we never asked the old people about. OR: It [was] that kind of song [that] we never asked them [for], those old people, (Orig. Transl.)

Source: Angelo et al. 1998

Example 25-232:
Wi yusdu habim kid la bush, ani wi neva habim [...] melk, wi yusdu go bek bo olden taim.
Wi
1pl
yusdu
hab
hab-im
have-tr
kid
child
la
loc
bush,
bush
ani
but
wi
1pl
neva
neg2
hab-im
have-tr
[...]
[...]
melk,
milk
wi
1pl
yusdu
hab
go
go
bek
back
bo
purp
olden
old
taim.
time
We used to have children in the bush, but [sometimes] we didn't have milk, we used to go back to the old timer [treatment].
Example 25-236:
Nekstaim yu nomo wani go stilimbat.
Nekstaim
next.time
yu
2sg
nomo
neg
wani
pot
go
go
stil-im-bat.
steal-tr-prog
Don't go stealing again. OR: Next time you shouldn't be stealing.

Source: Sandefur and Sandefur 1982: 65

Example 25-237:
Nomo yumob gada bulurrum mi hanting!
Nomo
neg
yumob
2pl
gada
fut/oblig
bulurr-um
follow-tr
mi
1sg
hanting!
hunting
Never again will you lot follow me hunting! OR: You won't ever come hunting with me!

Source: Hodgson 1998: 196

Confidence:
Intermediate