Datapoint Berbice Dutch/Uses of the progressive marker

The imperfective category, marked by the suffix -arε or, more frequently, by the reduced form –a, includes progressive, habitual and iterative uses. Most stative verbs are unacceptable with imperfective inflection (e.g. poko ‘like, be fond of’ and glofu ‘believe’), but habu ‘have’ occasionally takes it, and suku ‘want’ appears more frequently with imperfective than without; the presence or absence of imperfective marking appears not to change the interpretation of the state described by these verbs. In contrast, where imperfective is used with a verb derived from an adjective, a process interpretation results rather than a state interpretation.

Values

Progressive, habitual, and current state

Example 28-82:
lombo plɛkɛm wangeni bwa drungwa stɛdi
lombo
bad
plɛkɛ
place
wanga
where
eni
3pl
bu-a
drink-ipfv
drungu-a
get.drunk-ipfv
stɛdi
steady
A bad place, where they drink and get drunk all the time.

Source: Kouwenberg 2007: 29

Example 28-88:
o wa riʃa
o
3sg
wa
pst
riʃi-a
swell-ipfv
He was swelling.

Source: Kouwenberg 2007: 29

Example 28-89:
o sukwa mu
o
3sg
suku-a
want-ipfv
mu
go
She wants to go.

Source: Kouwenberg 1996: 33

Confidence:
Very certain