Chapter 112Kane An, Regional Continuatives, and Appearance
Ongoing and resulting states, degree and emphasis, Shizunai and Samani patterns, Tokachi and Ishikari forms, and distinct evidential constructions.
112.1 Kane an and the situation that continues
Kane an can describe an activity in progress or a state left by an earlier change. Its distribution differs across regional descriptions. Nakagawa's Samani examples include both carrying a bag and sucking a finger; these correspond to different wa an and kor an constructions in the Saru comparisons Nakagawa (2024: 447, examples 1008–1011).
For Shizunai, Yoshikawa discusses examples involving growth and becoming white that allow either an ongoing-change or a resulting-state interpretation Yoshikawa (2021: 8–9, §3.1). Nakagawa also cites a Shizunai description of vines wrapped around door and window openings as a resulting-state use Nakagawa (2024: 447, example 1007). In the Ishikari and Horobetsu examples he surveys, resulting states are particularly prominent Nakagawa (2024: 447–448).
112.2 Emphasis, degree, and ordinary continuation
Saru and Chitose accounts give additional weight to how a situation is presented. Nakagawa reports Tamura's unexpectedness analysis and Satō's proposal that kane fundamentally relates to reaching a degree or standard. He favors the latter as a broad account while recognizing emphatic uses in actual examples Nakagawa (2024: 308, 446–447, reporting Tamura 1960:75 and Satō 2002:84–85).
One Saru passage describes a bear deity appearing in a dream after the bear's head has been ritually prepared. It contains both sapa tuye kane an, concerning the prepared head, and mina kane an, concerning laughter. The ritual and dream context explains why a literal translation of the first expression alone would mislead Nakagawa (2024: 446, example 1004). Yoshikawa's analysis also stresses conventional combinations with particular predicates; interchangeability with kor an is limited Yoshikawa (2022: §3.2).
112.3 Kan an and tek an
Tokachi and Ishikari have kan an, also pronounced as kanan. Nakagawa finds ongoing activity especially prominent in the Tokachi examples and resulting states in the Ishikari examples. Both readings are represented in the comparative material Nakagawa (2024: 448).
Takahashi connects a Tokachi restriction on first-person progressive kor an with the availability of kan an, within an observational account of the constructions Takahashi (2022: §4). Tokachi tek an also describes lasting states, such as vines covering a house. Its relationship to Saru/Chitose auxiliary tek, used for brief actions, remains a question; the meanings cannot simply be transferred between the constructions Nakagawa (2024: 448–449).
112.4 Appearance and evidential constructions
Expressions built on sir or siri require a separate evidential analysis. Dal Corso compares siri an and siri ki, discussing what visible evidence licenses an inference. The account also examines combinations with formal-noun endings, while expressly limiting its regional coverage Dal Corso (2018: 326–327).
Dal Corso expressly limits the regional coverage of this account, noting related ru an forms elsewhere. The distinctions among these evidence-related expressions are developed in Chapter 120 (Formal Nouns and Evidential Constructions); the ordinary existential constructions are in Chapter 110 (Existential Aspect: Kor An and Wa An).
References cited in this chapter
Dal Corso (2018) ·Nakagawa (2024) ·Takahashi (2022) ·Yoshikawa (2021) ·Yoshikawa (2022)