Datapoint Berbice Dutch/Aspect markers and inchoative meaning

There is a class of adjectives in Berbice Dutch which, in addition to their stative adjective use and interpretation, also pattern fully with event verbs. These forms appear quite unproblematically with both the perfective and imperfective aspectual suffixes, with predictable interpretations. There are, however, also adjectives which do not accept the imperfective suffix, although they may appear with perfective. These include potɛ 'old' and moi 'good'.

Values

Inchoative expressed by progressive and completive markers

Example 28-96:
titi ju gwarɛ [...]
titi
time
ju
2sg
gu-arɛ
big-ipfv
[...]
[...]
When you are growing up [...]

Source: Kouwenberg 1996: 32

Example 28-97:
potɛtɛ nau, timi kori ababaka
potɛ-tɛ
old-pfv
nau,
now
timi
be.able
kori
work
ababa
anymore
ka
neg
(He) has gotten old, cannot work anymore.

Source: Kouwenberg 2007: 30

Confidence:
Certain