Datapoint Palenquero/Internal order of tense, aspect, and mood markers

Palenquero typically has one or two TAM markers before the verb (often, verbs can also have no TAM marker at all). Aspect marker -ndo follows the verb, while ba can attach to both preverbal aspect markers as well as the verb itself (i ta-ba ablá-ba = I was speaking, where the progressive is marked three times: ta-, -ba, -ba).

Mood marking is limited to IRREALIS (hypothetical, and some "futures", as shown in Schwegler (1992)). Mood (hypothetical, contrary to fact) is always expressed with aké.

These generally combine in this order:

MOOD + ASPECT:

aké + ba
Example:
Yo aké-ba bae.
'I would have gone.'

ASPECT + TENSE:

Suto asé-ba miní akí.
'We use-d to come here.'

IMPORTANT NOTE:
In my view, much about the Palenquero verb phrase is poorly understood, and therefore in need of serious reanalysis. Part of the difficulty in analyzing the Palenquero verb phrase is that we are not sure how certain key mood and aspect particles should be segmented. For instance:

Which segmentation is correct?:

asé vs. a-sé (HABITUAL)
atá vs. a-tá (PROG)
aké vs. a-ké (IRREALIS)

Until these and related problems are resolved, the analysis presented here (and elsewhere in the literature) is at best tentative.

Values

The feature does not apply

Example 48-17:
¿Aonde bo tan bae?
¿Aonde
where
bo
you.sg
tan
fut
bae?
go
Where are you (sg.) going?
Spanish: ¿Adónde te vas?
Example 48-33:
¿Bo a komblá aggú kusa?
¿Bo
you.sg
a
pst
komblá
buy
aggú
some
kusa?
thing
Did you buy something?
Spanish: Vos/usted has/ha comprado algo (lit. alguna cosa)?
Example 48-39:
Ese ma nimá si a-ta harocho.
Ese
this
ma
pl
nimá
animal
si
your
a-ta
tma-be
harocho.
hungry
These animals of yours are hungry.
Spanish: Esos animales tuyos están con hambre / tienen hambre.
Example 48-46:
Ese ma hende ri Katahena asé-ba miní akí Palengue nu.
Ese
this
ma
pl
hende
people
ri
of
Katahena
Cartagena
asé-ba
hab-pst
miní
come
akí
here
Palengue
Palenque
nu.
neg
These people from Cartagena generally did not come to (here) Palenque.
Spanish: Esta gente de Cartagena no solía venir a Palenque.
Example 48-84:
[...] y-aké taba asé musá.
[...]
[...]
y-aké
I-irr
taba
prog
asé
make
musá.
musá
[...] I would be making "musá" (a local dish).
Spanish: [...] (yo) estaría haciendo "musá".

Source: Schwegler 1992: 240

Example 48-85:
É ta-ba nesesitá mí aí.
É
he/she
ta-ba
prog-pst
nesesitá
need
mí
me
aí.
there
He/she needed me there.
Spanish: Él/ella me necesitaba allí.

Source: de Friedemann and Patiño Rosselli 1983: 157

Example 48-86:
¡Ay! ma hende tan pegá mí.
¡Ay!
ay
ma
pl
hende
people
tan
fut
pegá
hit
mí.
me
Ay! People are going to hit me.
Spanish: ¡Ay! la gente me va a pegar.

Source: de Friedemann and Patiño Rosselli 1983: 157

Confidence:
Intermediate