Page 342 - A GRAMMAR OF BHOJPURI _ PhD Dissertation 2020 TU

by such divisions as ongoing process: progressive-durative-continuous and repeated
events: habitual-repetitive.

a) Progressive
The general progressive marker in Bhojpuri is -अत /-ʌt/ which is suffixed to

the verb stem and followed by the past forms of copula that also show agreement with
person, gender, number and honorificity. It can be combined with any tense

categories: past, future and present. We discuss it as follows:
(i) Past Progressive

In past progressive aspect, the progressive marker -अत /-ʌt/ is followed by

stative verb रह /rʌɦ/ 'live' which is mostly used as copula in Bhojpuri, and it is this
copula that agrees with person, number, gender and honorificity of the subject/agent.

Moreover, the accomplishment-completion verbs already discussed (but not all) such
as सुत /sut/ 'sleep', उठ /uʈʰ/ 'stand up', बैठ /bʌiʈʰ/ 'sit down' retains its

infinitive/participle form in past progressive. Let us observe the instances (4a-j).

(4) a. पिहले हमनी अन िनकासी करत रहनी ।
pʌɦile ɦʌmni ʌn nikɑsi kʌrʌt rʌɦni

pʌɦil-e ɦʌm-ni ʌn nikɑsi kʌr-ʌt rʌɦ-ni
first-DEF 1SG-PL food export do-IMPF live-PST.H

'We were exporting food grains in the past.' (010.391)
b. अपने खेत जोतत रहनी ।

ʌpne kʰet jotʌt rʌɦnĩ
ʌpne kʰet jot-ʌt rʌɦ-nĩ

2SG.NOM.H farm plough-IMPF live-PST.H
'You were ploughing the farm.'

c. बाबुजी खHखत रहनी ।
bɑbuji kʰõkʰʌt rʌɦnĩ

bɑbu-ji kʰõkʰ-ʌt rʌɦ-nĩ
father-H plough-IMPF live-PST.H

'Father was coughing.'
d. तोहनी सुतल रहलऽ ।

toɦni sutʌl rʌɦlʌ

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