MASON, TEPECANO, A PIMAN LANGUAGE OF MEXICO 369 



Tense Suffixes 



The pure tense suffixes, those which denote variations of past 

 and future time, stand in absolutely final position in the verbal 

 complex. Practically all tense categories are thus expressed with 

 the exception of the bare preterit which, as has been shown, is 

 denoted by the prefix -t- and the preterit form of the verb stem. 



PAST TENSE 



12. -on, -(im)oi>, (-ot, -imbt), imperfect, past continued action, generally 

 with contemporaneous motion. 



This suffix occurs generally with the motional suffix -im in the 

 form -imdD. As such it denotes past continued action with motion 



and is normally translated by the Spanish "iba ndo", "was 



going m g"- With a very few stems, all of which as yet 



found are given below, it seems to carry a bare imperfect signifi- 

 cance, continued past state or action, and its difference from the 

 imperfect suffixes -Am> and -dan is not evident. In some cases 

 there seems to be an idea of simultaneity as "while going speaking, 

 they ". 



anita'nimot I was going (coming) begging him 

 anita'ndan I was begging him 



aminio'kimo'D they were going speaking 



kuticbo'himoD we were coming 

 anicbo'himdaD I was coming 



abimo'cka-tot there it was spread out 



avicna'kdD he desired it 



avicma'tot he knew it 



73. -ok, -(im)dk, simultaneous past action. 



This suffix, which is also generally found combined with the 

 motional suffix to -imdk, indicates that two actions occurred simul- 

 taneously in the past, or that one occurred while the other was in 

 progress or immediately upon its conclusion. 



kutsapnio'k-imok speaking, (he died) 



anicdonimok gamko-'i smoking, I fell asleep 

 anti'va.o'imorimok hakagoi f have gone walking and returned 



tum-a'aodimnk they were going about conversing 



antihi'muk I had gone (when ) 



o'imorimok sakimok walking and weeping (he arrived) 



antictornaita'nimok I was begging continually 



