Phraseology and Culture in English

5. Processes involving multiword units in the verb phrase in 
Aboriginal English 
Some of the processes observed in relation to multiword units in the noun 
phrase are common to the verb phrase but there are also a number of differ-
ent processes. Five kinds of processes will be discussed. 
1. Suffixing 
Suffixing affects the verb phrase in particular in relation to adverbial expres-
sions, which may be formed with -time, in the case of time adverbials, and
-way, in the case of manner adverbials. Both forms of suffixing show influ-
ence from Kriol. 

---

Multiword units in Aboriginal English
387
Time adverbials 
It is clear that adverbial compounds involving -time exist in Standard English 
(e.g. sometimes). However, Aboriginal English modifies these and also creates 
others, as shown in the following examples: 
I forgettin all time 
‘I always forget’ 
an everytime I…forget to 
close my window at night 
‘and all the time I forget to close my window at 
night’ 
Long time we caught two 
down the river 
‘A long time ago we caught two down at the 
river’
We all know for long time 
‘We have all known for a long time’ 
Sometime they sing they Ya-
magee song, y’know 
‘Sometimes they sing their Yamagee [tribal] 
songs’
Only dark time they come 
around
‘they only come around in the dark’ or ‘they only 
come around when it is dark’ 
In the case of all time and everytime there is no count / non-count noun con-
straint as in Standard English, so that both expressions are essentially synony-
mous. The expression long time in Aboriginal English may be used to convey 
the meanings that Standard English would express with either a long time ago 
or for a long time. The intended meaning is made clear by the word order. 
Sometime in Aboriginal English may carry the meaning of sometimes in Stan-
dard English, although sometime may also be used to mean (as in Standard 
English) ‘at some time’, as in Project finishes this year sometime doesn't it? The 
expression dark time is open to two interpretations, either as a prepositional 
phrase with the preposition omitted (as discussed above under Noun Phrase), 
or as an adverbial, analogically following the pattern of sometime, all time and 
long time.