Page 474 - A GRAMMAR OF BHOJPURI _ PhD Dissertation 2020 TU

etne mẽ cʰoʈ-ku dekʰ-ʌt bɑ kɔno
meanwhile.EMPH LOC small-DET see-IMPF be.3SG.PRES some

rɑɦi bʌʈoɦi pɛ ̃ ɽɑ d ̤ ʌile cʌlʌl jɑt rʌɦe
rɑɦi bʌʈoɦi pɛ ̃ ɽɑ d ̤ ʌr-il-e cʌl-ʌl jɑ-ʌt rʌɦ-e

passerby passenger way put-PP-SEQ walk-INF go-IMPF live-3.PST
'In the meantime, the younger saw a passerby was walking on the way.' (10.015)

While all the complements with PCU-predicates exemplified earlier
represented direct discourse, whereas the perceived event presented with this
particular construction is indirect.

13.1.2 Complement-taking modality predicates
a) Modal predicates

As modality, in Bhojpuri as well as in its close neighbours too, belongs to
TAM system as a whole and is expressed morphologically, as well as conjuntively,

there are few examples of complement-taking predicates with a purely modal
meaning. Such predicate in Bhojpuri is सक- /sʌk-/ 'be able to, can'. This verb regularly

takes an infinitival complement, as shown in (12a-c).

(12) a. दोहराके फे र अपने ओइसनके िबआ घर म2 नइखO राख सकत ।
doɦrɑke pʰer ʌpne oisʌnke biɑ ɡ ̈ ʌr mẽ

doɦrɑ-ke pʰer ʌpne oisʌn-ke biɑ ɡ ̈ ʌr mẽ
repeat-SEQ again 2SG.H same-EMPH seed house LOC

nʌikʰĩ rɑkʰ sʌkʌt
nʌikʰ-ĩ rɑkʰ sʌk-ʌt

be.NEG.PRES.H keep can-IMPF
'You cannot keep the same seeds at your home for the second time.' (02.092)

b. ऊ लोग पूरा पFरवार के मार सकत रहे ।
u loɡ purɑ pʌriwɑr ke mɑr sʌkʌt rʌɦe

u loɡ purɑ pʌriwɑr ke mɑr sʌk-ʌt rʌɦ-e
3SG PL full family ACC kill can-IMPF live-3.PST

'They were able to kill the whole family.' (13.079)
c. हम आज घरे ना जाए सकनी ।

ɦʌm ɑj ɡ ̈ ʌre nɑ jɑe sʌkni

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