The phonology and morphology of Filomeno Mata Totonac

primary aspects expressed morphologically in FM Totonac are the imperfective, perfective,
perfect and progressive. As already noted, this kind of aspect marking is obligatory on all verbs
in the language. In addition, other aspectual distinctions are made possible by various
derivational affixes and will be addressed in §5.3.2, as well as by adverbials and adverbial
phrases. Each of the four major aspect markers is associated with a particular stress pattern when
word final. An introduction to each of these suffixes will be found in the next subsections.
4.7.2.1 Imperfective aspect. Imperfective aspect indicates habitual activities, or ongoing,
uncompleted activities, although progressive aspect is more frequently used for the latter. It is
compatible with past, present and future tenses, and in fact is the only aspect that may combine
with the future. The imperfective suffix, -aa, is affixed only if it is followed by another
morphological operation, whether or not this operation involves an overt affix. Since
imperfective –aa occurs in one of the outermost positions, this means it can appear only on verbs
with a more peripheral suffix, that is, a deictic or adverbial suffix, or a second person or first
person plural agreement suffix. Thus –aa surfaces regularly only on verbs with a first or second
person plural or second person singular subject, or a second person object. Younger speakers but
not older ones generally drop the 1 st plural and 2 nd plural subject markers, but retain IMPF –aa.
The analysis that –aa requires an outer affix for its expression thus becomes somewhat abstract.
Imperfective aspect is associated with final stress. Example 31 is interesting, since the
semantically idiosyncratic verb liitse’en ‘laugh’ is formed with the instrumental, and then
transitivized by another derivation with the instrumental, giving liiliitse’en ‘laugh at someone’.
31) kiliiliitse’én
/kin-lii-lii-tsee-‘an-aa/
1OBJ-INST-INST-well-go-IMPF
‘s/he laughs at me’
32) s%c%iwiinanáa
/s"-c"iwii-nan-aa-wa&/
PAST-speak-HAB-IMPF-1pl
‘we used to speak/were speaking’
33) nakmimpará
na-k-min-para-aa/
FUT-1SUB-come-ITER-IMPF
‘I will return’
34) kanahláy’a&
/kanaxla-aa-[cg]/
believe-IMPF-2SUB.sg
‘you believe (it)’
! ""-!