Datapoint Tok Pisin/Tightness of the link between the progressive marker and the verb

Progressive is indicated with the postverbal serial verb i stap or with the preverbal phrase wok long. Nothing can intervene between wok long and the verb, unlike the situation with i stap.

Values

Particle, open-class items may intervene

Example 22-81:
Ol lapun meri i mumuim kaikai istap.
Ol
pl
lapun
old
meri
woman
i
pm
mumu-im
earth.oven-tr
kaikai
food
istap.
prog
The old women are cooking food in an earth oven.

Source: Dutton and Thomas 1985: 116

Example 22-82:
Ol man meri wok long singsing na kaikai na mekim kain kain samting stap.
Ol
pl
man
man
meri
woman
wok
prog
long
prog
singsing
sing
na
and
kaikai
eat
na
and
mek-im
do-tr
kain
kind
kain
kind
samting
thing
stap.
prog
Everyone was singing and feasting and doing all kinds of things.

Source: nd

Example 22-83:
Na narapla i wok long bagarapim stret narapla man ia.
Na
and
nara-pla
other-mod
i
pm
wok
prog
long
prog
bagarap-im
spoil-tr
stret
completely
nara-pla
other-mod
man
man
ia.
foc
And they were completely bashing each other up.

Source: nd

Confidence:
Certain