Re: Perfect/imperfect vs Past/present/future
| From: | Roger Mills <romilly@...> |
|---|
| Date: | Wednesday, July 3, 2002, 3:07 |
|---|
>Nihil Sum writes:
> >
> > I need to do some reading up on the differences between languages that
see
> > verbs in terms of past/present/future, and those (like the Semitic
> > languages) that use only a perfect/imperfect distinction.
I've been wondering recently where so-called "realis-irrealis" fits into
this-- or is it just another name for perfective/imperfective? Realis seems
to indicate what did occur, has occured, is occurring. Irrealis seems to be
what will/would/could/may occur.
Philippine languages are often described as having realis/irrealis; but from
the translated examples it seems more a past/present vs. future distinction.
There is Bernard Comrie's book _Aspect_ (pb, Cambridge Textbooks in
Linguistics) which I've plowed through once, so far to little effect.
Reply