Magin_Edward-thesis

91
Imperatives and wishes may seem closely related and, perhaps, difficult to
distinguish at times. Unlike wishes, however, imperatives always have verb endings
identical to third person indicative endings. Examples (85) through (89) illustrate
imperatives with the bi- prefix. Example (89) is a negated imperative. Notice that the ne
prefix supersedes use of the bi- prefix. The command is still obvious because the verb is
not expressed with the 2SG ending but an ending that is like the 3SG ending. Note also the
introduction of the word ka in (85) and (87). In these sentences ka more or less means
“please.” 52
(85) ka av-ê bi-d-e min
please water-OBL.F IRR-give.PRS-IMP.SG 1O
‘Please give me (some) water.’
(86) bi-b-e
IRR-take.PRS-IMP.SG
‘Take it!’
(87) ka lêtir-ek şerbet-ê bi-kirr-e
please liter-INDF juice-OBL.F IRR-buy.PRS-IMP.SG
‘Please buy me a liter of juice.’
(88) pencer-ê bi-gire
window-OBL.F IRR-close.PRS-IMP.SG
‘Close the window.’
(89) van qelem-a ji bîr ne k-e (Şirîn and Buşra 2006:47)
3OPN pen-OBL.PL from memory NEG do. PRS-IMP.SG
‘Don’t forget these pens.’
Irrealis may also express a consultative mood, a request for agreement or some
other type of response. Example (83), repeated below in (90), may be understood this
way. In addition to expressing a wish, the speaker is also asking whether another
speaker(s) is in agreement or not. The same is true of (91), a phrase that is often a
rhetorical question meaning, “There’s nothing I can do.” Example (92) is different in that
it is a statement that pragmatically says something like, “Unless you have more to add, I
will continue.” So rather than being consultative, it would be called permissive, or
jussive, a mild imperative.
52 In other situations ka is a question word meaning ‘where.’