Aspectotemporal and Modal Meanings of the Altay Suffix -atan

Although the Altay Turkic suffix -atan is specified as "future tense suffix" in traditional grammars, it may indicate past, present or future tenses. Aspectotemporally, it often indicates pluri-occasional (habitual) & rarely uni-occasional (progressive) events in the past. Since it is a non-focal intraterminal marker indicating pluri-occasional (or habitual) events, it may be readily used to encode generic & gnomic facts. In this study I also examine modal functions & meanings related to futurity, such as intention, decisiveness, necessity, & possibility. Since these notions are related to epistemic, deontic & dynamic modalities, I briefly explain the terminological apparatus & study the examples of each function. Finally, I examine the pragmatic meanings & connotations of the suffix expressing futurity. Adapted from the source document