46_Temporal Nouns

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Nominalized Tense

Grammatical Concept: Time as a Place

Asaxi allows Tense Prefixes to function as Abstract Nouns referring to that era of time.

1. The Base Nouns

Without the locative prefixes (va- or ni-), these words function as standard Cold Nouns. They can be the Subject or Object of a sentence.

Noun	Meaning	Etymology
zè	The Past	zè- (Past Tense)
pa	The Future	pa- (Future Tense)
kozè	The Distant Past / Antiquity	ko + zè
kopa	The Distant Future	ko + pa
ozè	The Immediate Past / Just now	o + zè
opa	The Immediate Future / The Brink	o + pa
Example:

To pa siŕo xiŕa. “The future is unknown.”

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2. Setting the Time (Locative Forms)

A. The Past (va- Container) We exist “inside” the fixed past.

• vazè (“In the past”).
• vkozè (“In the distant past”).
  • Phonotactics: va + k → vk (Devoices to /f/).
• vozè (“In the immediate past” / “Just a moment ago”).
  • Fusion: va + o → vo.

B. The Future (ni- Destination) We move “towards” the open future.

• nipa (“Into the future”).
• nikpa (“Into the distant future”).
• ńopa (“In the immediate future” / “On the brink”).
  • Fusion: ni + o → ńo.
  • Pronunciation: ń represents the palatal nasal /ɲ/ (like Canyon or Polish ń).

The Inventory of Temporal Settings

Form	Components	Meaning	Notes
vazè	va + zè	In the past	Standard.
nipa	ni + pa	In the future	Standard.
vkozè	va + kozè	In the distant past	Reduction: va → v before k (/fkozə/).
nikpa	ni + kopa	In the distant future	Reduction: o elision in kopa (nikopa → nikpa).
vozè	va + ozè	In the immediate past	Fusion: va + o → vo (Just a moment ago).
ńopa	ni + opa	In the immediate future	Fusion: ni + o → njo / ńo (On the brink).

3. Usage Examples

Standard Past:

Vazè, jomåsháwa zèvivinů. “In the past, humans lived.”

Immediate Past (Fusion):

Vozè, to wo zèxogă. “I arrived (just) a moment ago.”

Distant Future (Reduction):

Nikpa, to wa pashěsonů. “In the distant future, we will read.”

Immediate Future (The Brink):

Ńopa, to wa gavină paůchů. “We will feel well in the immediate future (on the brink).”

A long, long time ago:

Kozèvkozè, ă ponă ŕimshá zèxiŕa. “Once upon a time, there was (lived) a certain lemur.”

4. Relative Day Naming (Vaxi + Prefix + Number)

To specify a date by counting days from the present, use the introductory phrase vaxi (“On the day…”).

A. The Past (hù- Back)

• Structure: hù + [Number]
• Examples:
  • Vaxi hùtam. (“Two days ago”).
  • Vaxi hùfă. (“Three days ago”).

B. The Future (pa- Front)

• Structure: pa + [Number]
• Examples:
  • Vaxi patam. (“In two days”).
  • Vaxi paŕă. (“In five days”).

C. The Named Days

• Vaxi hùhwo: “The day before yesterday.”
• Vaxi pavwo: “Tomorrow / The day after today.” (Relative sequence).
  • Note: While pwo is the abstract noun for Tomorrow, vaxi pavwo emphasizes the specific calendar slot relative to today.])]