The grammar of the english verb phrase part 86 docx

12. Pr eterite vs present perfect in clauses with temporal adverbials I. Relevant classes of temporal adverbials 591 12.1 Deictic vs nondeictic time-specifying adverbials 591 12.2 Single-zone adverbials, multi-zone adverbials and zone-independent adverbials 593 12.3 Homogeneous vs heterogeneous time-specifying adverbials 594 12.4 (Non)inclusive heterogeneous time-specifying adverbials 595 II. Temporal adverbials and the choice between past tense and present perfect 596 12.5 Nondeictic adverbials 596 12.6 Past-zone adverbials 598 12.7 Noninclusive heterogeneous pre-present-zone adverbials 599 12.8 Noninclusive homogeneous pre-present-zone adverbials 601 12.9 Inclusive pre-present-zone adverbials 602 12.10 Multi-zone time-specifying adverbials 603 12.11 Since-adverbials 605 12.12 For-adverbials 611 12.13 Until-adverbials 616 12.14 Before-adverbials 619 12.15 The present perfect with adverbials referring to the present 620 12.16 Tense choice with actualization adverbials 622 12.17 Tense choice with adverbials indicating a recent indefinite bygone time 623 12.18 Tense choice with once 626 III. Summary 629 12.19 Types of temporal adverbials 629 12.20 Tense choice with temporal adverbials 629 590 12. Preterite vs present perfect in clauses with temporal adverbials Abstract In this chapter we explore the ways in which the presence of a temporal adverbial in a clause interacts with the choice between the (absolute) past tense and the present perfect. (In chapter 6 we have already discussed the contrast between these two tenses in clauses without a time-speci- fying adverbial.) In part I (ϭ sections 12.1Ϫ4) we identify the relevant types of time-specifying adverbials: (a) deictic versus nondeictic adverbials; (b) single- zone adverbials, multi-zone adverbials and zone- independent adverbials; (c) homogeneous versus heterogeneous adverbials; and (d) inclusive ver- sus noninclusive heterogeneous adverbials. In part I (ϭ sections 12.5Ϫ18) we address the compatibility of these various types of time- specifying adverbials with the past tense and the present perfect. For example, we address the question whether just (now) combines with the past tense or with the present perfect (or with both). A summary of chapter 12 is given in part III. I. Relevant classes of temporal adverbials 591 I. Relevant classes of temporal adverbials Temporal adverbials can be categorized as ‘deictic’ (e. g. yesterday, the day before)or ‘nondeictic’ (e. g. at some time or other, at five o’clock) depending on whether or not they are related to a temporal ‘anchor’. The former can be further categorized as either ‘absolute deictics’ (e. g. yesterday) or ‘relative deictics’ (e. g. the day before) depending on whether the temporal anchor is t 0 or another time, and as either ‘single-zone’ adver- bials (e. g. yesterday) or ‘multi-zone’ adverbials (e. g. today) depending on whether they refer to only one absolute time-zone (e. g. the past zone) or to a time span which includes the present zone plus the post-present and the pre-present or the past. Nondeic- tic adverbials are automatically ‘zone-independent’. Temporal adverbials can also be categorized as ‘homogeneous’ (e. g. in 1983)or ‘heterogeneous’ (e. g. from 1983 to 1986) depending on whether or not they can refer to the time interval (Adv-time) in its entirety as well as to any subpart of it. Within the latter class, we can formally distinguish between ‘inclusive’ adverbials, introduced by (with)in, and ‘noninclusive’ ones. 12.1 Deictic vs nondeictic time-specifying adverbials 12.1.1 Time-specifying adverbials, including the ‘bifunctional adverbials’ (which specify both duration and time Ϫ see 2.22.3), are either deictic (an- chored )ornondeictic (unanchored). Only in the former case is the Adv- time related to a given ‘ temporal anchor’. I heard that name yesterday. (deictic: yesterday means ‘the day before t 0 ’. The tempo- ral anchor is t 0 .) I had heard that name the day before. (deictic: the day before means ‘the day before some orientation time’. The temporal anchor is not t 0 but a given past orientation time.) I’ve heard that name at some time or other. (nondeictic: the Adv-time specified by at some time or other is not linked to a given temporal anchor.) He often {gets up / got up} at five o’clock. (nondeictic Adv-time: at five o’clock is naturally understood as belonging to particular days, but the days in question are not anchored to a given orientation time.) Depending on whether the temporal anchor is t 0 or another time, a deictic time- specifying adverbial is an ‘absolute deictic’ or a ‘relative deictic’ expression. 12.1.2 A deictic time-specifying adverbial is an absolute deictic if the Adv- time that it indicates is anchored to t 0 ; otherwise it is a relative deictic. 592 12. Preterite vs present perfect in clauses with temporal adverbials Examples of absolute deictic time-specifying adverbials are: today, this morn- ing, tomorrow, tonight, yesterday, three weeks ago, etc. Adv-times which have t 0 as (expressed or inferred) endpoint are also absolute deictics: since last week, until now, etc. Examples of relative deictic time-specifying adverbials are: the same day, that morning, the next day, the day before, two days earlier, etc. An Adv-time that is anchored to a time which is itself anchored to t 0 can be re- ferred to as an relative-absolute deictic. Compare: The letter I posted yesterday hasn’t arrived. (absolute deictic Adv-time) The letter I posted the day before yesterday hasn’t arrived. (relative-absolute deictic Adv-time) The letter she had posted two days earlier hadn’t arrived. (relative deictic Adv-time) There are also adverbials that can be used as either absolute or relative deictics: This has never happened {in the past / so far}, and will never happen again in the future. (used as absolute deictics) This had never happened {in the past / so far}, and would never happen again in the future. (used as relative deictics) He {will / would} tell her everything in three days’ time. (absolute deictic when combining with will, relative deictic when combining with would) 12.1.3 Deictic time-specifying adverbials like yesterday or in those days are ‘definite’ referring expressions, i. e. the speaker assumes (or pretends) that the referent time is identifiable to the hearer, or that the hearer is at least familiar with the referring expression (which is then ‘attributive’ in the sense of Donnel- lan (1966) Ϫ see 11.1.2.) In other words, the use of such a deictic time-specify- ing adverbial is assumed to be sufficient for the hearer to know or infer the temporal location of both the ‘anchor’ and the Adv-time that is anchored to it. Deictic expressions like just, some time ago, recently, a long time ago, etc. are less definite: while the anchoring time is still assumed to be identifiable, the temporal location of the Adv-time is less so, because the temporal distance between the anchoring time and the anchored Adv-time is not specified in a very precise way. These adverbials represent a category of adverbials that are neither (fully) definite nor (fully) indefinite. As to nondeictic time-specifying adverbials, some refer in a definite way, whereas others do not. Compare: I met him at some time or other. (indefinite nondeictic Adv-time) I met him in 2002. (definite nondeictic Adv-time) 12.1.4 A definite nondeictic time-specifying adverbial has fixed time refer- ence. That is, its temporal referent remains the same irrespective of the context in which the adverbial is used. Compare: I. Relevant classes of temporal adverbials 593 I met her on the day that Bryan was buried. (definite nondeictic Adv-time with fixed time reference) Our son was born in 2003. (definite nondeictic Adv-time with fixed time reference) One day he got seriously hurt in an accident. (indefinite nondeictic Adv-time with (necessarily) non-fixed time reference) 12.2 Single-zone adverbials, multi-zone adverbials and zone-independent adverbials 12.2.1 Single-zone adverbials are deictic adverbials which refer to only one ‘absolute zone’ (see 2.37). For example, ‘past-zone adverbials’ specify a bygone Adv-time which can only be interpreted as disconnected from the present time- sphere (e. g. yesterday, last week, in 1983) and which are therefore incompatible with the present perfect: My aunt {died / *has died} {yesterday / last week / in 1983}. ‘Pre-present-zone adverbials’ specify a period up to t 0 (e. g. so far, since then) and can therefore combine with the present perfect but not with the past tense: Since then we have been left completely in the dark. Up until now we have collected £ 543. Similarly, right now is a ‘present-zone adverbial’, and tomorrow is a ‘post- present-zone adverbial’ . 12.2.2 multi-zone adverbials are deictic adverbials which specify a time span which includes the present zone (ϭ t 0 ) as well as the post-present and the pre-present or the past, e. g. today. Such adverbials are compatible with various absolute tenses, depending on the zone that receives the temporal focus. John is in London today. (temporal focus on the present) John has been in London today. (temporal focus on the pre-present part of today) John was in London today. (temporal focus on a past time in the course of today) John will be in London today. (temporal focus on a post-present time in the course of today) Needless to say, multi-zone time-specifying adverbials are always homogen- eous. (See the discussion of I had a copious breakfast today in 2.38.2.) 12.2.3 zone-independent adverbials specify a time which is not linked up with one particular zone, e. g. at five o’clock. Such adverbials are compatible with various absolute tenses, depending on the zone that receives the tempo- ral focus. 594 12. Preterite vs present perfect in clauses with temporal adverbials He left at five o’clock. I will leave at five o’clock. I’m still in bed at five o’clock. It goes without saying that a zone-independent adverbial is nondeictic in itself, but can only be meaningfully used if the tense of the sentence and the context in which it is used identify the absolute zone and the implicit Adv-time in relation to which it should be interpreted. 12.3 Homogeneous vs heterogeneous time-specifying adverbials Within the class of time-specifying adverbials we can also distinguish between ‘homogeneous’ and ‘heterogeneous’ (or ‘nonhomogeneous’) time-specifying ad- verbials. In other words, Adv-times may be (represented and / or interpreted as) homogeneous or heterogeneous. 1 A homogeneous Adv-time is a durative time interval that is understood as being the same all the way through. Such a homo- geneous Adv-time is dissective. This means that any part of the Adv-time can be referred to by the same adverbial as refers to the Adv-time as a whole. In other words, it is criterial of a homogeneous time-specifying adverbial that the adver- bial establishing the Adv-time can also be used to refer to any portion of the time span in question. For example, the adverbial in 1983 can be used not only to refer to the complete time span which began on 1 January 1983 and ended on 31 De- cember 1983 but also to talk about any day in that period: In 1983 he still lived in Paris. My father died in an accident in 1983. In the former sentence, in 1983 may well refer to the twelve-month period as a whole; in the latter we can only interpret it as referring to a particular day in that period. By contrast, a time-specifying adverbial is heterogeneous (i. e. represents an Adv-time as heterogeneous) if it can only refer to the Adv-time as a whole, not to any smaller portion of it. For example: From 1983 to 1986 I lived in Paris. *My father died in an accident from 1983 to 1986. 1. Since the property of being homogeneous or heterogeneous is a property of the Adv- time determined by the nature of the time adverbial describing it, the labels ‘homogen- eous’ and ‘heterogeneous’ will be applied both to the Adv-time and to the adverbial denoting it. This is similar to the practice (introduced in 1.44) of speaking of (non)- bounded situations as well as (non)bounded clauses. . Paris. *My father died in an accident from 1983 to 1 986. 1. Since the property of being homogeneous or heterogeneous is a property of the Adv- time determined by the nature of the time adverbial describing. various types of time- specifying adverbials with the past tense and the present perfect. For example, we address the question whether just (now) combines with the past tense or with the present. whether they refer to only one absolute time-zone (e. g. the past zone) or to a time span which includes the present zone plus the post-present and the pre-present or the past. Nondeic- tic adverbials