Features

Yellow: variational pattern attested
Blue: variational pattern non-attested

(1) Baloia botaten dot
(2) Basua urez betetan dot
(3) Kantetan dot
(4) kantaten dot
(5) apurtuten dot
(6) haserraketan da
(7) etxean egoiten naiz

Generalized pattern. The suffix appearing in the imperfect analytic configuration is -ten or -tzen (usually decomposed into the nominalizer te/tze + the inessive adposition -n). When the participial ends in -n or [s, z, ts, tz]i, it takes -ten in the imperfect. In others, it takes -tzen.

Variational pattern 1. In some varieties, -ten is the imperfective suffix when the participial ends in -a, -e, -o, -gi, -ki and -[l, n, r]i, (bota --> botaten, bete --> beteten, jo --> joten, jagi --> jagiten, euki --> eukiten, ibili --> ibilten, ipini --> ipinten, ekarri --> ekarten).

(1)	Baloia	botaten	dot
	ball.ABS	throw.IPFV	(3ABS).have.1SG.ERG
	‘I throw the ball.’

Variational pattern 2. In some varieties, -a and -e ending participials take the -etan imperfective suffix.

(2)	Basua	urez	betetan	dot
	glass.ABS	water.INS	fill.IPFV	(3ABS).have.1SG.ERG
	‘I fill the glass with water.’

Variational pattern 3. In some varieties, -etan is the imperfective suffix when the participial is -au: kantau --> kantetan.

(3)	Kantetan	dot
	sing.IPFV	(3ABS).have.1SG.ERG
	‘I sing.’

Variational pattern 4. In some varieties, the older -ten is the imperfective suffix when the participial is -au: kantau --> kantaten.

(4)	Kantaten	dot
	sing.IPFV	(3ABS).have.1SG.ERG
	‘I sing.’

Variational pattern 4 is reported in: the northwest of Biscay and in all coastal varieties.

Variational pattern 5. When the participial is -tu, -atu, -itu and -idu, then, -tuten is the imperfective suffix (apurtu --> apurtuten, konturatu --> konturatuten, garbitu --> garbituten, entendidu --> entendituten).

(5)	Apurtuten	dot
	break.IPFV	(3ABS).have.1SG.ERG
	‘I break it.’

Variational patterns 1, 2, 3 and 5 are reported in: western varieties.

Variational pattern 6. In some varieties, -ketan is the imperfective suffix, instead of -tzen, with certain verbs (verbs having -atu and -tu participles, if the stem ends in -n), and apparently, more prominently when the verb is derived (Erostarbe 1994). -Keta is a nominalizing suffix used to form activity names and names of abundance (zezen-keta (bull-KETA) ‘buff-fighting’, jende-keta (people-KETA) ‘crowd’) (Trask 1996).

(6)	Haserraketan	da
	angry.IPFV	(3ABS).be
	‘He/she gets angry.’

Variational pattern 6 is reported in: certain western varieties (e.g. Arrasate and Oñati).

Variational pattern 7: In some varieties, -iten is the imperfective suffix (egoiten, emaiten, eramaiten).

(7)	Etxean	egoiten	naiz
	home.INE	be.IPFV	1SG.ABS.be
	‘I am usually at home.’

Variational pattern 7 is reported in: north-eastern varieties and in some varieties of the north-western part of Nafarroa.

Chapter: Aspect

Keywords: aspect, imperfective, inessive, nominalization