Original scientific paper
A chapter from the syntax of Istrian Čakavian: the usage of verb forms
Janneke Kalsbeek
; Universiteit van Amsterdam
Abstract
The article deals with the usage of verb forms in the so-called North West Čakavian dialects of Istria (the term ‘North West Čakavian’ referring to those dialects with examples of neocircumflex: a long falling vowel in adjectives and e-presents belonging to Stang’s accentuation type (a), e.g. Žminj stari, plačen, cf. Vermeer 1982: 290-293 and 316-320). Of the five areas in Istria where such dialects are spoken, examples for this article are taken from the author’s field work data gathered in three of them: the areas around Žminj, Pazin and Labin. The dialects from these areas are closely related, and have very similar verbal systems.
An inventory of verb forms for the dialect of Orbanići in the Žminj area is given, followed by a short overview of the usage of the present in main sentences, and the usage of analytic verb forms, for all three areas.
Some of the most striking features of the verbal system of these dialects, also some of the features wherein Istrian čakavian distinctly differs from literary Croatian, are the usage of the negated perfective present expressing a negative potential, and the existence of a considerable number of constructions which can express a habitual action, e.g. the perfective present, the perfective perfect, the conditional II, and especially a separate habitual Aktionsart as a productive category in the infinitive, the present and the active participle, e.g. se igrieva ‘(she) is in the habit of playing’ vs. se igra ‘(she) plays, (she) is playing’.
Keywords
Croatian dialectology; Čakavian; verbal system; Istrian dialects
Hrčak ID:
168568
URI
Publication date:
14.6.2003.
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