KEELDKÕNE VORMIDEST
Concerning the forms of prohibitive speech

Summary/Abstract: In spoken Estonian, the negative auxiliary verb of the imperative and jussive moods ära is developing into the element carrying the principal grammatical markers of negative verb forms. It is evidenced by the use of the unmarked form of the main verb in the first person plural of the imperative, especially in the indicative-like imperative (ärme tee ’let’s not do (sth)’), but to some extent already in the gem- ~ kem-imperative (ärgem unusta ’let’s not forget (about sth)’); other indications of this development are agreement of the negative auxiliary verb in the present imperative and jussive impersonal (ärdagu tehtagu ’may they not do (sth)’), and the emergence of the negative preterite in the jussive (ärnud teinud ’may he not have done (sth)’).

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