Re: Help on Verbs...

Doug Ball wrote:

> Some languages exhibit tense.  Strictly speaking,
> tense just involves time.
Well, strictly speaking, tense is an attempt at a measure of absolute
time -- it tells you when an event occurred, like just a moment ago
yesterday, or in the Mythical past (some Australian aboriginal
languages have such a tense).   Aspect, on the other hand, tells
time according to a relative measure:  was it completed (perfect),
ongoing (progressive), about to happen (prospective), acccomplished
quickly and then over with (aorist), happening repeatedly (habitual),
or just beginning (inceptive), etc.

The tricky thing is that, usually, it's not that clear when it comes
down to how particular languages use them.  In English, for example,
the "present tense" is really present tense, habitual aspect (as one
really never uses it for aorist senses):  "He goes to school every day",

as you said.

> In French, the subjunctive generally only appears in
> subordinate clauses, and is gradually dying, as it has in English
> (except
> for some set phrases).
Not really -- the English counterfactual subjunctive is still
around (It's not hard to find people who still use "If I were...").
And, in North American English in particular, the present subjunctive
is still used quite frequently:  "The man asked that he remain
quiet for the moment of silence" (not "remains" for these people).

=======================================================
Tom Wier <artabanos@...>
ICQ#: 4315704   AIM: Deuterotom
Website: <http://www.angelfire.com/tx/eclectorium/>
"Cogito ergo sum, sed credo ergo ero."

Denn wo Begriffe fehlen,
Da stellt ein Wort zur rechten Zeit sich ein.
   -- Mephistopheles, in Goethe's _Faust_
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