Part 7
The ten combinations
Two tenses, five views, and one fixed order: tense first, aspect second. That is the entire combinatorics, and it fits in one table.
| Combination | Gloss | Ordinary English |
|---|---|---|
to si | PST IPFV | was doing |
to ki | PST PFV | had done |
to pa | PST INCH | began doing |
to te | PST CESS | stopped doing |
to ro | PST HAB | did habitually then |
so si | FUT IPFV | will be doing |
so ki | FUT PFV | will have done |
so pa | FUT INCH | will begin doing |
so te | FUT CESS | will stop doing |
so ro | FUT HAB | will do habitually |
Read the left column aloud once. Every pair is two syllables, and the rhythm never changes: the pointing word, then the focusing word, then the verb. English needs auxiliaries, participles, and a drawer of irregular forms to cover this table. Phi covers it with seven sounds and one rule of order.
01A day, conjugated
Put the table to work on one remembered day:
lo pelori to pa meliho.
PL bird PST INCH sing.
phao moru to si shiroka.
parent wall PST IPFV repair.
mia napa to ki pharelo.
1SG bread PST PFV cook.
lopia to te wile.
child PST CESS play.
Dawn's onset, midmorning's flow, the loaf already done by the time the story looks in, the game ending at dusk. Swap every to for so and the same day stands ahead of you instead: the birds will begin, the wall will be mending, the bread will be done. One substitution moves an entire remembered day into the future, intact.
02One view per clause
Each clause takes one tense at most and one view at most. An account that needs two views, the singing began and then flowed on, takes two clauses, each one clean:
shia to pa meliho. shia to si meliho.
3SG PST INCH sing. 3SG PST IPFV sing.
Two small sentences, each making exactly one claim, and the sequence between them doing the storytelling. This is Phi's habit everywhere: complexity grows by adding clauses, and every clause stays simple enough to hear whole.
Practicerun the table
Build all ten combinations with shia and meliho, and speak each one aloud.
Answers: shia to si meliho. shia to ki meliho. shia to pa meliho. shia to te meliho. shia to ro meliho. shia so si meliho. shia so ki meliho. shia so pa meliho. shia so te meliho. shia so ro meliho. Ten sentences, one unchanged verb. When the row and the meaning arrive together without translation, the table is yours.