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For example, in the sentence `飲んだり食べたりした`. Does this たり have anything to do
with the `-(i)tari` ending in Classical Japanese that meant the present
progressive (and later semantically shifted to past, and then even later
truncated to `-ta`)? As in `われ食べたり = 私は食べている`?

It seems quite similar, attaching to the 連用形 (albeit with 音便), and with the
same form. The meaning is very, very different though. Are they related?
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2013-11-05T00:39:18.817
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2013-11-05T01:27:07.683
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etymology classical-japanese
Does the たり in Modern Japanese come from the Classical たり?
Yes, it does.

In Classical Japanese, たり was an auxiliary verb but in Modern Japanese, it is
a particle. The meaning and usage changed somewhat over time in that
presently, it is used only in colloquial speech.

Regarding your example phrase われ食べたり, I need to mention the fact that 食べる is a
modern verb; therefore, you should not combine it with the Classical auxiliary
verb たり. The Classical versions of 食べる are 食ふ・食らふ and 食（た）ぐ.
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2013-11-05T01:27:07.683
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2013-11-05T01:27:07.683
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answer