Re: time distinctions

> From: H. S. Teoh
> Subject: Re: time distinctions
>
> On Wed, Aug 23, 2000 at 04:56:35PM -0400, Yoon Ha Lee wrote:
> > What kinds of time distinctions *can* you make?
> >
> > past
> > present
> > future
> >
> > Maybe all, maybe only one or two.  Who knows?
>
> AFAIK every language has a way of expressing time at least those three
> time distinctions. It's just a question of whether this distinction is
> built into the language, or it's expressed by using explicit words to
> indicate time (or anywhere in between).
Not all explicitly mark the verb for these distinctions however.  Many
languages exhibit a binary tense system with either an opposition between
past and non-past or between future and non-future.  I have been
experimenting with the former for nathya, a language related to amman iar.

David

David E. Bell
The Gray Wizard
    dbell@graywizard.net
    www.graywizard.net

"Wisdom begins in wonder." - Socrates