ABSTRACT
In most MA dialects, a Durative prefix like ka-is frequently added to nonstative verb forms in the equivalent of the (habitual or sometimes progressive) present tense: ka-n-hb;Jt 'I go down'. With a preceding perfective 'be' verb, the durative expresses a past imperfective (kan ka-y-msi 'he used to come'). For verbs that use an active participle to describe a current state (e.g. $aY;Jm 'fasting', lJadi or ma.5i 'going, on one's way'), the durative form is often habitual. Elicitation of the durative was based chiefly on the expression of 'what are you doing?', e.g. as kad-dir or s;Jnni a-d-Iqi, though it generally turned up in other elicited forms as well.
