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TOPIC V: The Verb
Categories of Tense, Aspect, Order (Correlation)
1.1. We should distinguish between time as a universal non-linguistic concept and linguistic means of its expression (grammatical and lexical). The time of events is usually correlated with the moment of speaking. The three main divisions of time are present (including the moment of speaking), past (preceding it), and future (following it).
Events may be also correlated with other events, moments, situations (for example, in the past or in the future). They may precede or follow other events or happen at the same time with other events. Accordingly time may be, denoted absolutely (with regard to the moment of speaking) and relatively (with regard to a certain moment).
1.2. Languages differ as to the means of the grammatical expression of time. Time may be expressed by one category, the category of tense (Russian) or by several categories (English).
In Modern Russian the category of tense denotes time both absolutely and relatively:
In sentence (1) the present form denotes an action, correlated with the moment of speaking. In sentence (2) it denotes an action, correlated with a moment in the past. In both sentences the action includes (the moment with which it is correlated).
In Modem English the category of tense denotes time only absolutely:
(3) He works at college. (4) He said he worked at college.
In both sentences the action is correlated with the moment of speaking. In sentence (3) it includes the moment of speaking. In sentence (4) it precedes the moment of speaking.
So the category of tense in Modern Russian denotes the relation of an action to the moment of speaking or to some other moment. The category of tense in Modern English denotes the relation of аn action to the moment of speaking. Relative time is expressed by special forms (future-in-fhe past, perfect forms, sometimes continuous forms), which are very often also treated as tenses.
2. The two main approaches to the category of Tense in Modern English are:
a) there are three tenses: present, past, future; b) there are two tenses: present and past.
English verbs have special forms for expressing actions in progress, going on at a definite moment or period of time, i.e. for expressing limited duration — continuous forms: When I came in he was writing.
Continuous forms have been traditionally treated as tense forms (definite, expanded, progressive) or as tense-aspect forms. Consider the opposition: сотеs — is coming: members of the opposition are not opposed as tenses. They show different character of an action, the manner or way in which the action is experienced or regarded: as a simple fact or as taken in progress. The opposition common — continuous reveals the category of aspect.
Tense and aspect are closely connected, but they are different categories, revealed through different oppositions:
comes — came; comes —is coming.
The fact that the Infinitive has the category of aspect (to come — to be coming) and has no category of tense also shows that these are different categories.
The category of aspect is closely connected with the lexical meaning. Some scientists divide the verbs into dynamic (having the category of aspect) and stative (disallowing the continuous form). Stative verbs denote perception, cognition and certain relations: see, know, like, belong. Dynamic verbs may be terminative, denoting actions of limited duration: close, break, come, and durative, denoting actions of unlimited duration: walk, write, shine.
In Modern English there are also special forms for expressing relative priority — perfect forms. Perfect forms express both the time (actions preceding a certain moment) and the way the action is shown to proceed (the connection of the action with the indicated moment in its results or consequences). So the meaning of the perfect forms is constituted by two semantic components: temporal (priority) and aspective (result, current relevance). That is why perfect forms have been treated as tense-forms or aspect-forms.
Consider the oppositions: comes — has come, is coming — has been coming.
Members of these oppositions are not opposed either as tenses or as aspects (members of each opposition express the same tense and aspect). These oppositions reveal the category of order (correlation, retrospect).
Tense and order are closely connected, but they are different categories, revealed through different oppositions: comes — come, comes — has come. The fact that verbals have the category of order (to come — to have come, coming — having come) and have no category of tense also shows the difference of these categories.
The meaning of perfect forms may be influenced by the lexical meaning of the verb, tense-form, context and other factors.
So temporal relations in Modern English are expressed by three categories:
The central category, tense, is proper to finite forms only. Categories denoting time relatively, embrace both finites and verbals. The character of an action is expressed by two categories: aspect (common — continuous) and order.