Aspect marking
Aspect can be marked with the use of an affix, infix, partial or total reduplication, internal flexion, or tone. Languages that lack morphological strategies for the marking of aspect may rely on the use of independent words instead. Such words can, however, become grammaticalized, in which case they should be considered affixes; characteristically, the position of aspect-marking words that have grammaticalized is restricted to immediately before or after the verb. Aspect marking may also overlap with the marking of other grammatical categories, such as person. When a language displays more than one strategy, multiple values can be listed. If one strategy is dominant, a slash (/) can separate the values, with the dominant value appearing first; if there is no dominant strategy, they should be listed with an ampersand (&) separating the values.1
Types:
NoA: The language does not have grammatical aspect, or lacks a morphological strategy to express it.
PerifA: Aspect is expressed periphrastically.2
PrefA: Aspect is expressed through the use of a special prefix.
SuffA: Aspect is expressed through the use of a special suffix. When a language displays more than one strategy, multiple values can be listed. If one strategy is dominant, a slash (/) can separate the values, with the dominant value appearing first; if there is no dominant strategy, they should be listed with an ampersand (&) separating the values.
IfxA: Aspect is expressed through the use of a special infix or interfix.
CrcfA: Aspect is expressed through the use of a special circumfix.
SyntA: Aspect is expressed through the use of a polyexponential synthetic affix.3
TonA: Aspect is expressed through the use of tone.
PartRdpA: Aspect is expressed through the use of partial reduplication.
RdpA: Aspect is expressed through the use of total reduplication.
InflA: Aspect is expressed through the use of internal flexion.4
1: For example, SuffA & InflA would mean that suffixation and infixation are equally characteristic of aspect marking in the given language, whereas SuffA / InflA would indicate that aspect is overwhelmingly marked by suffixation, but there is a subset of verbs where it is expressed through infixation.
2: Aspect marking counts as periphrastic if there are grammatical means (e.g. auxiliaries or other kind of additional words exclusively expressing aspect) used for this function. Adverbials (also) expressing independent (non-grammatical) meaning are not included.
3: The specifics of these affixes should be detailed in the commentary. Such an affix may express both person marking and aspect, for example.
4: Internal flection (infixation) means marking of the given function exclusively through change of the verbal root. Morphonological changes of the root alongside or triggered by functional affixes do not count as infixation.