WALSERSPRACHE - The four main objectives of the Alpine Space ...

Marco Angster
Informants seem to waiver between using or not using the auxiliary “tua” in the present
and imperative, whereas the subjunctive behaves like all other verbs. Yet the use of the
auxiliary is not compulsory for any tense or mode, periphrastic and analytical forms
coexisting side by side. The present tense and action class sentences do not favour either
form. On the other hand, “tunz” appears to be the only instance were the use of the auxiliary
“tua” is compulsory. It is invariable, even when matched with modal verbs or used
in the perfect tense. “Tunz” would appear to be the verb “tun” with an agglutinated “zzu”
attached to its end, something which must have occurred a long time ago, at a time
when infinitive verbs still ended with a nasal consonant (as is still the case in Issime).
“Tunz” would then appear to be a very old and stable grammatical form, at least alongside
with the causative clause structure. There are interesting interactions taking place
when using the periphrastic form in connection with clitic pronouns, negations, adverbs
and the progressive particle “eister”. They should be further studied.
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