Datapoint Sri Lanka Portuguese/Negation and tense, aspect, and mood marking

Dravidian (or Dravidian-like) influence has decoupled the positive and negative systems to some extent, so that there is not always a one-to-one correspondence between positive and negative forms. The negative markers signal aspect and modality rather than tense; they cannot be accompanied by tense markers.

Values

Reduced and different TAM marking in negated clauses

Example 41-12:
aka viida etus vɛrgɔɔɲantu naa papiyaa
aka
that
viida
because
etus
3pl.hon
vɛrgɔɔɲa-ntu
shyness-loc
naa
neg.fut
papiyaa
speak
Therefore, in shyness they won’t talk. OR: Therefore, they are too shy to talk.

Source: Smith 1977: 150

Example 41-83:
pamp dreetu nukufaya?
pamp
pump
dreetu
right
nuku-faya?
neg-make
Didn’t he repair the pump?

Source: Smith 1974-5: 1457

Confidence:
Very certain