Huddleston and Pullum's (2002) analysis of tense - Revision history

Oesten at 18:20, 27 March 2011

2011-03-27T18:20:41Z

Volker gast at 18:06, 21 October 2009

2009-10-21T18:06:56Z

Volker gast: extracted from a term paper by nadin Wiegandt

2009-10-21T18:02:34Z

extracted from a term paper by nadin Wiegandt

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According to Huddelston and Pullum (2002), English has a two-dimensional systems of temporal reference which comprises the categories [[primary tense]] and [[secondary tense]]. [[Primary tense]]s expresses the distinction between past and present time. For example, "She went to school" contains a verb in the preterite tense (''went''). In "She goes to school" the tense of the verb is present (cf. Huddleston and Pullum 20022: 116).

[[Secondary tense]] distinguishes perfect from non-perfect forms, the former being marked with the auxiliary ''have''. For example, "He may have known her" is a perfect form, whereas "He may know her" is unmarked (Huddleston and Pullum 20022: 116).

Tense is regarded as a relationship between the time referred to and the time of orientation.

==Primary Tense==
===Parameters of analysis===
* Time referred to (Tr): time span about which information is provided
* Time of orientation (To): reference point, usually time of utterance/ moment of speech
* Time of the situation (Tsit): time span covered by the situation
* Deictic time (Td): type of encoding or decoding, normally the moment of utterance

====Relationship between Tr and T<sub>0</sub>====
* past time Tr < To (anterior)
* present time Tr = To (simultaneous)
* future time Tr > To (posterior)

====Examples====
(1) I met Michael at seven in the morning. (Tr <To)
(2) I hereby confirm you husband and wife. (Tr = To)
(3) I’ll take a nap at ten. (Tr > To)

* Time of situation (Tsit) is not necessarily identical to time referred to (Tr)

(4) What did you do between four and five o’clock?
(4a) I was sleeping.
(4b) I slept.

* Present tense: In most cases To is contained in T sit

(5) I live in Jena.

* Deictic time is usually the moment of utterance. Under specific circumstances it can be shifted to the ‘decoding time’:

(6) You are now leaving West Berlin.

==Secondary Tense: The perfect ==

Parameters of analysis: the same parameters as for primary tense

===The perfect as a ‘non-deictic past tense’===

* it is a past tense because it is used when Tr <To;
* it is non-deictic because To is not (necessarily) identified with Td.

(1) He was believed [to have written it the previous week]. Tr <To (past)
(2) He is believed [to have written it last week] Tr <To (present)
(3) He hopes [to have written it by next week]. Tr <To (future)

* One To functions as a time of orientation for a given Tr; this Tr is at the same time the To for another Tr.

(4) Yesterday, he was believed to have written it the previous week. ( Huddelston/ Pullum 2002: 140).

===Uses the of the perfect===

* The continuative perfect/ universal (=states)

(5) She has lived in Berlin ever since she married.

* The experiential perfect/ existential (= occurrences within the time span up to now)

(6) His sister has been up Mont Blanc twice.

* The resultative perfect (=change of state)

(7) She has broken her leg.

* The perfect of recent past (=news announcements)

(8) She has recently/just been to Paris. (Huddleston/Pullum 2002: 141f).

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:20, 27 March 2011
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	According to Huddelston and Pullum (2002), English has a two-dimensional systems of temporal reference which comprises the categories [[primary tense]] and [[secondary tense]]. [[Primary tense]]s ~~expresses~~ the distinction between past and present time. For example, "She went to school" contains a verb in the preterite tense (''went''). In "She goes to school" the tense of the verb is present (cf. Huddleston and Pullum 20022: 116).	+	According to Huddelston and Pullum (2002), English has a two-dimensional systems of temporal reference which comprises the categories [[primary tense]] and [[secondary tense]]. [[Primary tense]]s express the distinction between past and present time. For example, "She went to school" contains a verb in the preterite tense (''went''). In "She goes to school" the tense of the verb is present (cf. Huddleston and Pullum 20022: 116).

	[[Secondary tense]] distinguishes perfect from non-perfect forms, the former being marked with the auxiliary ''have''. For example, "He may have known her" is a perfect form, whereas "He may know her" is unmarked (Huddleston and Pullum 20022: 116).		[[Secondary tense]] distinguishes perfect from non-perfect forms, the former being marked with the auxiliary ''have''. For example, "He may have known her" is a perfect form, whereas "He may know her" is unmarked (Huddleston and Pullum 20022: 116).

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 ==Primary Tense==
 ===Parameters of analysis===
-* Time referred to (Tr): time span about which information is provided
+* Time referred to (T<sub>r</sub>): time span about which information is provided
-* Time of orientation (To): reference point, usually time of utterance/ moment of speech
+* Time of orientation (T<sub>o</sub>): reference point, usually time of utterance/ moment of speech
-* Time of the situation (Tsit): time span covered by the situation
+* Time of the situation (T<sub>sit</sub>): time span covered by the situation
-* Deictic time (Td): type of encoding or decoding, normally the moment of utterance
+* Deictic time (T<sub>d</sub>): type of encoding or decoding, normally the moment of utterance
 ====Relationship between Tr and T<sub>0</sub>====
-* past time   Tr < To (anterior)
+* past time   T<sub>r</sub> < T<sub>o</sub> (anterior)
-* present time Tr = To (simultaneous)
+* present time T<sub>r</sub> = T<sub>o</sub> (simultaneous)
-* future time Tr  > To (posterior)
+* future time T<sub>r</sub>  > T<sub>o</sub> (posterior)
 ====Examples====
-(1) I met Michael at seven in the morning. (Tr <To)
+(1) I met Michael at seven in the morning. (T<sub>r</sub> < T<sub>o</sub>)
-* Time of situation (Tsit) is not necessarily identical to time referred to (Tr)
+(2) I hereby confirm you husband and wife. (T<sub>r</sub> = T<sub>o</sub>)
-(4) What did you do between four and five o’clock?
+(3) I’ll take a nap at ten. (T<sub>r</sub> > T<sub>o</sub>)
 (4a) I was sleeping.
 (4b) I slept.
-* Present tense: In most cases To is contained in T sit
+* Present tense: In most cases T<sub>o</sub> is contained in T<sub>sit</sub>
 (5) I live in Jena.
@@ Line 42: / Line 44: @@
 ===The perfect as a ‘non-deictic past tense’===
-* it is a past tense because it is used when Tr <To;
+* it is a past tense because it is used when T<sub>r</sub> <T<sub>o</sub>;
-* it is non-deictic because To is not (necessarily) identified with Td.
+* it is non-deictic because T<sub>o</sub> is not (necessarily) identified with T<sub>d</sub>.
-(1) He was believed [to have written it the previous week]. Tr <To (past)
+(3) He hopes [to have written it by next week]. T<sub>r</sub> <T<sub>o</sub> (future)
-* One To functions as a time of orientation for a given Tr; this Tr is at the same time the To for another Tr.
+* One To functions as a time of orientation for a given T<sub>r</sub>; this T<sub>r</sub> is at the same time the T<sub>o</sub> for another T<sub>r</sub>.
-(4) Yesterday, he was believed to have written it the previous week. ( Huddelston/ Pullum 2002: 140).
+(4) Yesterday, he was believed to have written it the previous week. (Huddelston and Pullum 2002: 140).
 ===Uses the of the perfect===
-* The continuative perfect/ universal (=states)
+* The continuative perfect/universal (=states)
 (5) She has lived in Berlin ever since she married.
-* The experiential perfect/ existential (= occurrences within the time span up to now)
+* The experiential perfect/existential (= occurrences within the time span up to now)
 (6) His sister has been up Mont Blanc twice.
@@ Line 69: / Line 73: @@
 * The perfect of recent past (=news announcements)
-(8) She has recently/just been to Paris. (Huddleston/Pullum 2002: 141f).
+(8) She has recently/just been to Paris. (Huddleston and Pullum 2002: 141f).