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Value Ability verb cannot express epistemic possibility
Language:
Kriol
Parameter:
Ability verb and epistemic possibility
Examples
"Wal ai gin trai." Imin lagijat la olabat.
"Wal
well
ai
1sg
gin
can
trai."
try
Im=in
3sg
=
pst
lagijat
like.that
la
loc
olabat.
3pl
"Well, I'll try," he said to them.
See
Sandefur and Sandefur 1982
: 61
Brom top, yu ken luk ole haus ebriwea.
Brom
from
top,
top
yu
2sg
ken
can
luk
see
ole
pl
haus
house
ebriwea.
everywhere
From the top, you can see the houses everywhere.
Teikim Nawurla tu, jet tubala Nangari ken luk ani laik thet from haiwei.
Teik-im
take-
tr
Nawurla
Nawurla
tu,
too
jet
dem
tubala
two
Nangari
Nangari
ken
can
luk
see
ani
just
laik
like
thet
dem
from
from
haiwei.
highway
Take Nawurla too, those two, Nangari and her, will be able to see it just like that from the highway. (Context: looking for a particular plant)
Wanim reintaim im gro thet big intit, en yu ken luk thet flaua bla im yuno.
Wan=im
subord
=
3sg
rein-taim
rain-time
im
3sg
gro
grow
thet
dem
big
big
intit,
tag
en
and
yu
2sg
ken
can
luk
see
thet
dem
flaua
flower
bla
poss
im
3sg
yuno.
you.know
In the rain time it grows this high, doesn't it, and you can see its flower, you know.
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