Temporal Expressions
Temporal Postpositional Phrases
We have already seen the use of temporal adverbs for expressing time.
Another way of indicating time is by using temporal phrases. The
postposition iti means “when”, “at the time
of”, or “during”. It can be used for constructing more
complex expressions of time than is feasible using adverbs alone. For
example:
Yesterday afternoon I walked to the village.
Note that the prepositional phrase sifan nara iti is acting as the
subject NP in this example. It should not be misinterpreted to be a
postpositional phrase followed by a clause in imperative/subjunctive word
order. Tatari Faran does not require the subject to be in a core noun
case.
This particular example can also be expressed using temporal adverbs:
Yesterday afternoon I walked to the village.
Temporal Clauses
More complex descriptions of time can be expressed by using iti in
adverbial position to construct a temporal clause:
When the volcano erupted, I saw a Kutakaranim.
When the girl talked to me, Mother came to the house.
The word order in the temporal clause is usually in imperative/subjunctive
order, i.e., with the verb fronted.
The adverb auti is used to express duration until a certain time or
event:
Wait, until the man comes.
Last updated 24 Mar 2023.
