Abstract
The future marker ’am in Saisiyat exhibits multiple functions: (1) as a marker for AF futurity; (2) as a verb designating desire; (3) as a modal verb expressing either deontic or epistemic meaning; (4) as a marker of progressive aspect; or (5) as a marker of conditional clauses. This paper explores the different uses of ’am in terms of grammaticalization. The grammaticalization of ’am should begin with a lexical verb denoting desire. Three paths or channels of grammaticalization are proposed to account for the relationship between different uses and how these functions come into existence: (1) from verb of desire to volition to prediction or future; (2) from volition to immediate future to progressive aspect marker; and (3) from volition to epistemic modality to a conditional marker.