Future Tense Usages in Trans-New Guinea Languages: A Functional-Cognitive Approach
Abstract
This study clarifies the functions of future tense forms in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea; particularly, the languages Amele, Kobon, Usan, Girawa, and Waskia. This study examined the five languages and checked future tense features in terms of functional and ethnological points. I examine how their future features are combined in verbal morphology and seek their lexical origins. Amele has a morphological future tense affix -an (irrealis), and Girawa has a morphological future tense suffix ‘am (simply future meaning), while Kobon has a future suffix – nab (which can be regarded as irrealis), Waskia has an irealis suffix -uko.
The study claims that the sample languages have at least one future tense marker, and the future prototype in the Trans-New Guinea languages can be defined as a verbal suffix and irrealis meaning. Future markings are generally grammaticalized to several lexical sources, such as ‘go,’ ‘come,’ ‘catch,’ ‘want,’ and so forth (cf. Bybee and Dahl 1989). However, in this study, the observed forms cannot be analyzed in terms of lexicon, such as ‘go,’ ‘come.’ Instead, their functions are connected to irrealis, which their speakers interpret as not a ‘location in time’ view.
Keywords: Trans-New Guinea, future tense, morphology, contrastive study, Papua New Guinea