3.3.2.1. Iterative
The iterative aspect refers to actions or events that are repeated during a specific period of time.
a) yesterday ix1 sleep mother 3call1+++ in_the_end ix3 leave ix1 sleep.
‘Yesterday my mother called me many times for me to wake up, but she finally left and I went on sleeping.’
(recreated from Quer et al., 2005)
b) week past house elevator man person neighbor meet+++.
‘Last week I met my neighbor repeatedly in the lift at home.’
(recreated from Quer et al., 2005)
c) phone whatsapp 1send3+++ 3answer1 nothing.
‘I sent him the message many times, but he didn't answer back.’
(recreated from Quer et al., 2005)
The marking of this type of aspect consists in the reduplication of the verb sign. This repetition is done in a quick manner and more or less tense. The movement is retained at the end, with a brief pause between one repetition and the next, as shown in the examples below.
a) 3call1+++
‘To call me many times.’
(recreated from Quer et al., 2005)
b) meet+++
‘To meet often.’
(recreated from Quer et al., 2005)
c) whatsapp 1send3+++
‘To send a Whatsapp message repeatedly.’
(based on Quer et al., 2005)
The distinction in the articulation of iterative aspect and habitual aspect is not always straight forward. However, there are some subtle characteristics in the way iterative aspect display repetitions that may help distinguishing both types:
- Reduplication is done in a normal or (most of the times) a faster way.
- The sign is repeated three times at most.
- Some temporal expressions delimit the period of time in which the repetitions are produced (i.e. last_week, tonight, this_year, etc.)
Furthermore, this aspectual content can be reinforced by means of modifiers such as ‘loads-of-times’ and ‘repeat’, expressed in the examples below by the signs again and repeat respectively.
a) ix1 1explain3 already again+++.
‘I've told you a thousand times!’
(recreated from Quer et al., 2005)
b) ix3 sign self topic two_hours repeat+++.
‘He's been repeating the same thing for two hours.’
(recreated from Quer et al., 2005)
Lastly, there are some NMMs that accompany this type of aspect like, for instance, opening and closing the jaw with rhythmic movements that are synchronized with each repetition.