55_Subjective Tense & Register

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Grammatical Concept: The Internal Voice

Asaxi distinguishes between Reporting an event (Objective Register) and Experiencing an event (Subjective Register).

• Objective Register: Treats the action as a fact observable from the outside. Uses standard tenses (zè-, pa-).
• Subjective Register: Treats the action as an internal sensation, memory, or immersion. Uses specific Subjective Tenses (sỏ-, mi-).

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1. The Point-of-View (POV) Constraint

Crucial Distinction: The Subjective Tense markers (mi-, sỏ-) and the Subject Marker (ă) represent Direct Internal Experience.

Therefore, they can ONLY be used for the Speaker (First Person “I/We”) or in a literary context where the narrator is inside a character’s head. You cannot use them to describe another person’s feelings objectively.

Feature	Subjective Tense (mi- / sỏ-)	Epistemic Marker (toůchů)
Perspective	Internal Only (1st Person)	External / Observer (Any Person)
Logic	”I am feeling this now."	"It seems/feels like…”
Usage	I am immersed in pain.	He looks like he is in pain.
Valid Subjects	wo, wa (or Narrative POV)	wo, xő, ko, Tom, etc.

Examples of Constraint:

• Correct: Ă wo mijůchů. (“I am feeling…” - My experience).
• Incorrect: Ă John mijůchů. (“John is feeling…” - You cannot inhabit John’s mind).
• Correct Alternative: To John ůchů. (“John feels…” - Fact) OR John… toůchů. (“It feels like John…” - Epistemic).

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2. The Subjective Markers

To speak in the Subjective Register, you swap the standard grammatical particles for their “Soft/Internal” counterparts.

Component	Standard (Objective)	Subjective (Internal)
Subject Marker	to	ă (Relational Particle)
Present Tense	(Unmarked)	mi- (Tense Prefix)
Past Tense	zè-	sỏ (Tense Prefix)

3. The Subjective Present (mi-)

Used to describe feelings, sensations, or internal states occurring right now. It frames the action as an Immersion.

• Structure: mi-[Verb].
• Phonotactics (The -j- Bridge): If the verb root begins with a vowel, the bridge -j- is inserted to maintain the palatal quality.
  • Rule: mi + V → mijV.
  • Example: mi + ůchů → mijůchů.

Example:

Ă wo no midăsùki. SUBJ(Int) 1SG 2SG SUBJ.PRES-love “I so-love you.” / “I am feeling such love for you right now.”])]

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4. The Subjective Past (sỏ-)

Used for memories, nostalgia, or events that exist primarily in the speaker’s mind. It turns “History” into “Memory.”

• Structure: sỏ-[Verb].
• Phonotactics (No Bridge): Because sỏ ends in a diphthong (/ou̯/), it does not require a bridge consonant when attaching to vowels. The off-glide acts as the buffer.
  • Example: sỏ + ijo → sỏijo (“Reminisced seeing”).

Example:

Ă wa sỏtètáka. SUBJ(Int) 1PL MEMORIC-fight “We so-fought.” / “I remember how we fought.”

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5. Minimal Pair Comparison

Scenario A: Pain (Reporting vs. Feeling)

• Objective: To wo tètá ůchů.
  • “I feel pain.” (Reporting a symptom to a doctor).
• Subjective: Ă wo tètá mijůchů.
  • “I am feeling pain!” (Crying out in the moment).

Scenario B: Third Person (The Boundary)

• Objective: To John tètá ůchů.
  • “John feels pain.” (Fact).
• Epistemic: John tètá toůchů.
  • “It feels like John is in pain.” (My impression of him).
• Invalid: Ă John tètá mijůchů. (Impossible; I cannot be inside John).