3V0819.01 Progressive Verbs (4/20/80)

Peggy has used present participles as progressive verb forms in a
descriptive mode (as on last page). In two incidents, the context makes
clear her richer semantic framework served by those forms. Yesterday
I sat on the front stoop. Peggy came up the path and before reaching
the stairs said to me “I sitting stairs,” expressing her intention, where
the future was verging on, imminent, but still not present.

Today Peggy climbed the stairs at the back porch and was unable to
open the door. She rattled at the door. It was clearly an obstacle to
her. Seeing me in the living room, Peggy asked me to open the door
by saying, “I going in to Daddy.” This is clearly an intentional, volitional
statement.

Peggy’s use of the progressive form does not involve expression of the
auxiliaries to which tense and aspect are attached. We should remain
sensitive to their emergence to observe what auxiliary forms develop
and in what sequence.

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