Datapoint Afrikaans/Tightness of the link between the progressive marker and the verb

The progressive "marker" is a complex entity in Afrikaans (cf. Dutch and German): aan die + bare infinitive + wees (literally: [on the V be]). Aan die + V is a tight construction. It may scramble to the left edge of the verbal cluster, so that grammatical particles may interrupt the progresssive construction. However, if wees is finite, it has to undergo V2 in main clauses (and optionally so in subordinate clauses). The same is true for the besig wees om te (busy be INF.CONJ to) construction, and also for the hou aan ('carry on').

Values

Particle, open-class items may intervene

Example 29-85:
omdat hy jou boek aan die lees is
omdat
because
hy
3sg.m.nom
jou
2sg.poss
boek
book
aan
on
die
def.art
lees
read
is
is
because he is reading your book
Example 29-86:
Hy sou jou boek aan die lees kon wees.
Hy
3sg.m.nom
sou
would
jou
2sg.poss
boek
book
aan
on
die
the
lees
read
kon
could
wees.
be
He might be reading your book.
Example 29-87:
Hy is jou boek aan die lees.
Hy
3sg.m.nom
is
is
jou
2sg.poss
boek
book
aan
on
die
def.art
lees.
read
He is reading your book.
Example 29-88:
Hy is besig om te werk.
Hy
3sg.m.nom
is
is
besig
busy
om
inf.conj
te
to
werk.
work.inf
He is busy working.
Example 29-89:
[...] omdat hy besig is om te werk
[...]
[...]
omdat
because
hy
3sg.m.nom
besig
busy
is
is
om
inf.conj
te
to
werk
work.inf
[...] because he is busy working / [...] because he is (in the process of) working
Example 29-90:
Hy hou aan dieselfde foute maak. — Sy hou aan hard werk.
Hy
3sg.m.nom
hou
keeps
aan
on
dieselfde
the.same
foute
mistakes
maak.
make.inf
Sy
3sg.f.nom
hou
carries
aan
on
hard
hard
werk.
work.inf
He keeps making the same mistakes. — She carries on working hard.
Confidence:
Very certain