Datapoint Papiamentu/Uses of the habitual marker

The verb sa is used to mean 'have the habit of', and thus functions as a habitual marker. It presumably evolved as a special use of the verb sa 'to know'.

Examples 97, 16, 4 and 96 provided under Value 9 illustrate the varying interpretations of an utterance absent a habitual or imperfective marker. In such cases, it is context which determines whether the utterance is interpreted as habitual, current state, progressive, (immediate) future, a.o.

Values

Habitual, progressive, current state, and future Frequency: 70.0%

Example 47-16:
Ami kuné ta forma un tim pa nos hunga kontra di S. su koleganan di trabou.
a-mi
emph-1sg
ku-e
with-3sg
ta
tns
forma
form
un
indf
tim
team
pa
for
nos
1pl
hunga
play
kontra
against
di
of
S.
s.
su
poss
kolega
colleague
nan
pl
di
of
trabou
work
Me and him will be forming a team to play against S.’s colleagues at work.

Source: Kouwenberg 2007: 329

Example 47-96:
E papel ku mi ta uza aworaki ta papel di saka kopia.
E
def
papel
paper
ku
comp
mi
1sg
ta
tns
uza
use
awor
now
aki
dem.prox
ta
cop
papel
paper
di
of
saka
produce
kopia.
copy
The paper that I now use is photocopy paper.

Source: Kouwenberg nd

Example 47-97:
E ta ranka paña fo’i waya, koba buraku den kurá, kibra mata, [...] i hopi kos mas.
E
3sg
ta
tns
ranka
pull
paña
clothes
for
from
di
of
waya,
clothesline
koba
dig
buraku
hole
den
in
kurá,
yard
kibra
break
mata,
plant
[...]
[...]
i
and
hopi
many
kos
thing
mas.
more
It will pull clothes off the line, dig holes in the yard, break plants [...] and do many more things.

Source: nd: 7 July 2009, p.5

Example 47-4:
Riba e isla aki ta biba un mion hende.
Riba
on
e
def
isla
island
aki
dem.prox
ta
tns
biba
live
un
one
mion
million
hende.
person
On this island live a million people.

Source: Kouwenberg and Muysken 1995: 210

Confidence:
Very certain

Only habitual function Frequency: 30.0%

Example 47-88:
E tabata sa bini seka nos tur día.
E
3sg
tabata
pst
sa
able
bini
come
seka
at
nos
1pl
tur
every
día.
day
He came by us every day.

Source: Maurer 1988: 123

Example 47-98:
E sa uzé ora ku e kièr tene su kabei ariba den otro.
E
3sg
sa
know
uza
use
e
3sg
ora
hour
ku
comp
e
3sg
kièr
want
tene
keep
su
poss
kabei
hair
ariba
up
den
in
otro.
recp
She uses it (habitually) when she wants to keep her hair tied up.

Source: Kouwenberg nd

Confidence:
Very certain