What is a Grammatical Category

8/3/2019 What is a Grammatical Category

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WHAT IS A GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY?

DefinitionA grammatical category is a set of syntactic features that

express meanings from the same conceptual domain

occur in contrast to each other, and

are typically expressed in the same fashion. Discussion

The term grammatical category has been used to cover a wide variety of things, including what

traditional grammars call "parts of speech."

Examples (English)

A set of verb affixes that express aspect

A set of auxiliary verbs that express modality

Kindsa. What is aspect?b. What is case?c. What is definiteness?d. What is mood and modality?e. What is a noun class?f. What is number?g. What is polarity?h. What is tense?i. What is transitivity?

j. What is voice?What is aspect?

DefinitionAspect is a grammatical category associated with verbs that expresses a temporal view of the event or

state expressed by the verb.

DiscussionAspect is often indicated by verbal affixes or auxiliary verbs.

Example (English)He is talking.

The be + -ing construction expresses progressive aspect.

KindsHere are some kinds of aspect:

What is imperfective aspect?

What is perfective aspect?

What is cessative aspect?

What is inchoative aspect?

Generic

Aspect is a kind of

What is a grammatical category?

What is Imperfective Aspect?

DefinitionImperfective aspect is an aspect that expresses an event or state, with respect to its internal

structure, instead of expressing it as a simple whole.

Examples (English)Progressive aspect

Example: be + -ing


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Habitual aspect with

Example: used to

KindsWhat is continuous aspect?

What is habitual aspect?

What is iterative aspect?

What is continuous aspect?

DefinitionContinuous aspect is an imperfective aspect that expresses an ongoing, but not habitual, occurrence of

the state or event expressed by the verb.

Example (Quechua)The word -sa expresses continuous aspect, as in the following example:

rik''usan He sees it. (literally, He is seeing it.)Source: Bills, Vallejo, and Troike 1969 21

KindHere is a kind of continuous aspect:

What is progressive aspect?

What is progressive aspect?

DefinitionProgressive aspect is a continuous aspect that expresses processes, not states.

Example (English)The be + -ing construction indicates progressive aspect. Its characteristic of expressing processes rather

than states can be seen in the following examples:

Fred is silly.

Fred is being silly.

The first example is stative; the second is processual and paraphrasable as "Fred is acting in a silly

manner." Source: Comrie 1976a 36 Generic

Progressive aspect is a kind of

What is continuous aspect?

What is habitual aspect?

DefinitionHabitual aspect is an imperfective aspect that expresses the occurrence of an event or state as

characteristic of a period of time.

Example (English)He used to live here.

GenericHabitual aspect is a kind ofWhat is imperfective aspect?


DefinitionIterative aspect is an aspect that expresses the repetition of an event or state.

Example (English)The English prefix re- expresses iterative aspect:

rewrite

Example (Hungarian)The Hungarian suffix -gel expresses iterative aspect (diacritical markings are not reproduced

here):

nevetgel give a series of laughs


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Source:

Comrie 1985a 343

KindHere is a kind of iterative aspect:

What is distributive aspect?

GenericIterative aspect is a kind ofWhat is imperfective aspect?

What is distributive aspect?

DefinitionDistributive aspect is an iterative aspect which expresses that an event is applied to members of a group

one after another. These members are typically the referents named by

the subject of an intransitive verb, or

the object of a transitive verb.

Example (Russian)Russian po- in On po-zapiral dveri. `He locked the doors one at a time.' Source: Comrie 1985a

344

GenericDistributive aspect is a kind of


What is perfective aspect?

DefinitionPerfective aspect is an aspect that expresses a temporal view of an event or state as a simple whole,

apart from the consideration of the internal structure of the time in which it occurs.

Examples (English)He walked there.

This type of construction expresses a temporal view of walk distinct from those expressed in the

following constructions:

He was walking there.

He used to walk there.

GenericPerfective aspect is a kind of

What is aspect?

What is cessative aspect?

DefinitionCessative aspect is aspect that expresses the cessation of an event or state.

GenericCessative aspect is a kind of

What is aspect?

What is case?

DefinitionCase is a grammatical category determined by the syntactic or semantic function of a noun or pronoun.

Discussion


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The term case has traditionally been restricted to apply to only those languages which indicate certain

functions by the inflection of nouns pronouns, or noun phrase constituents, such as adjectives and

numerals.

Example:The Latin sentencesCanis hominem mordet Dog bites man and Canem homo mordet Man bites dog,

illustrate that differing case endings express the differing functions of the nouns in Latin.

The term is sometimes extended to include such functions expressed by adpositions. Example (Japanese)

In the following sentence, case is indicated by the case markers ga, ni, and o:

John ga Mary ni hon o yatta

John NOMINATIVE Mary DATIVE book ACCUSATIVE gave

John gave Mary a book. Source:

Kuno 1973 45

KindsHere are some kinds of cases:

a. What is abessive case?b. What is ablative case?c. What is absolutive case?d. What is accusative case?e. What is allative case?f. What is benefactive case?g. What is causative case?h. What is comitative case?i. What is dative case?

j. What is delative case?k.

What is elative case?l. What is equative case?

m. What is ergative case?n. What is essive case?o. What is genitive case?p. What is illative case?q. What is inessive case?r. What is instrumental case?s. What is lative case?t. What is locative case?u. What is nominative case?v. What is partitive case?w. What is prolative case?x. What is superessive case?y. What is translative case?z. What is vocative case? Generic

Case is a kind of


What is abessive case?

DefinitionAbessive case is a case that expresses the lack or absence of the referent of the noun it marks.

It has the meaning of the English preposition without.


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DiscussionThe term abessive case is used especially in studies of Finno-Ugric grammar. Its synonym caritive

case is used in the description of some other languages, notably Caucasian ones.

GenericAbessive case is a kind of

What is case?

What is ablative case?

DefinitionAblative case is a case that expresses a variety of meanings including instrument cause location source,

and time.

DiscussionThe term ablative case is used especially in Latin grammar.

GenericAblative case is a kind of

What is case?

What is absolutive case?

DefinitionAbsolutive case is the case of nouns in ergative-absolutive languages that would generally be

the subjects of intransitive verbs or the objects of transitive verbs in the translational equivalents of

nominative-accusative languages such as English.

DiscussionAbsolutive case is less likely to be formally indicated on the noun than ergative case is.

GenericAbsolutive case is a kind of

What is case?

What is accusative case?

DefinitionAccusative case is the case in nominative-accusative languages that marks certain syntactic functions,

usually direct objects.

GenericAccusative case is a kind of

What is case?

What is allative case?

DefinitionAllative case is a case that expresses motion to or toward the referent of the noun it marks.

DiscussionThe term allative case has been used in studies of Finnish and Eskimo. Its synonym additive case has

been used especially in studies of Basque.

GenericAllative case is a kind of

What is case?

What is benefactive case?

DefinitionBenefactive case is a case that expresses that the referent of the noun it marks receives the benefit of

the situation expressed by the clause. Generic

Benefactive case is a kind of


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What is case?

What is causative case?

DefinitionCausative case is a case which expresses that the referent of the noun it marks is the cause of the

situation expressed by the clause.

GenericCausative case is a kind ofWhat is case?

What is comitative case?

DefinitionComitative case is a case expressing accompaniment.

It carries the meaning "with" or "accompanied by."

GenericComitative case is a kind of

What is case?

What is dative case?

DefinitionDative case is a case that marks any of the following:

Indirect objects (for languages in which they are held to exist)

Nouns having the role of

recipient (as of things given)

beneficiary of an action, or

possessor of an item

Example (German)The word mir (to) me is in dative case, as seen in the following sentence.

Gib mir Brot. Give me bread.This word contrasts with ich I and mich me.

GenericDative case is a kind of

What is case?

What is delative case?

Definition

Delative case is a case which expresses motion downward from the referent of the noun it

marks.

Generic

Delative case is a kind of

What is case?What is elative case?

Definition

Elative case is a case expressing motion out of or away from the referent of the noun it marks.

Discussion

The term elative case is used especially in studies of Finno-Ugric grammar.

Generic
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Elative case is a kind of

What is case?What is equative case?

Definition

Equative case is a case that expresses likeness or identity to the referent of the noun it marks.

It can have meaning, such as

as like, and in the capacity of.

Generic

Equative case is a kind of

What is case?What is ergative case?

Definition

Ergative case is the case of nouns in ergative-absolutive languages that would generally be the

subjects of transitive verbs in the translation equivalents of nominative-accusative languages

such as English.

Discussion

Ergative case is more likely to be formally marked on the noun than absolutive case is.

Generic

Ergative case is a kind of

What is case?What is essive case?

Definition

Essive case is a case that expresses the temporary state of the referent specified by a noun.

The case has the meaning of

while, and in the capacity of.

Discussion

The term essive case is used especially in Finnish and Hungarian grammatical studies.

Generic

Essive case is a kind of

What is case?What is genitive case?

Definition

Genitive case is a case in which the referent of the marked noun is the possessor of the referent
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of another noun.

Discussion

In some languages, genitive case may express an associative relation between the marked noun

and another noun.

Examples (English)

The man's foot The man's brother The man's singing The man's book The man's pictureSource: Fleming 1988 10

Generic

Genitive case is a kind of

What is case?What is illative case?

Definition

Illative case is a case that expresses motion into or direction toward the referent of the noun it

marks.

Discussion

The term illative case is used especially in studies of Finno-Ugric grammar.

Example (Finnish)

talo-oninto the house

Source: Lyons 1968 299

Generic

Illative case is a kind of

What is case?What is inessive case?

Definition

Inessive case is a case that expresses a location within the referent of the noun it marks.

Discussion

The term inessive case is used especially in Finnish grammatical studies.

Example (Finnish)

-ssa

house -in(INESSIVE)

in the house

Source: Lyons 1968 299

Generic

Inessive case is a kind of
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What is case?What is instrumental case?

Definition

Instrumental case is a case indicating that the referent of the noun it marks is the means of the

accomplishment of the action expressed by the clause.

Generic

Instrumental case is a kind of

What is case?What is lative case?

Definition

Lative case is a case that expresses motion

up to the location of, or as far as the referent of the noun it marks.

Discussion

The term lative case is used especially in studies of Finno-Ugric grammar.

Generic

Lative case is a kind of

What is case?What is locative case?

Definition

Locative case is a case that expresses location at the referent of the noun it marks.

Discussion

The term adessive case, a synonym of locative case, is used especially in studies of Finno-Ugric

grammar.

Generic

Locative case is a kind of

What is case?

What is nominative case?

Definition

Nominative case is the case that identifies clause subjects in nominative-accusative languages.

Nouns used in isolation have this case.

Discussion

Nominative case is not often formally marked in nominative-accusative languages.

Generic

Nominative case is a kind of

What is case?
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What is partitive case?

Definition

Partitive case is a case that expresses the partial nature of the referent of the noun it marks, as

opposed to expressing the whole unit or class of which the referent is a part.

This case may be found in items such as the following:

Existential clauses Nouns that are accompanied by numerals or units of measure Predications of material from which something is madeIt often has a meaning similar to the English word some.

Discussion

The termpartitive case is used especially in studies of Finno-Ugric grammar.

Generic

Partitive case is a kind of What is case?

What is prolative case?

Definition

Prolative case is a case that expresses motion along or by the referent of the noun it marks.

Examples (Finnish)

xamples, the suffix expresses prolative case:-tse

Laiva kulki englannin sivuitseThe boat went by the coast of England. Isani aina matkusti maitseMy father always travelled by land.Source: Sebeok 1946 14

Generic

Prolative case is a kind of

What is case?What is superessive case?

Definition

Superessive case is a case that expresses location on the referent of the noun it marks.

It has the meaning of "on" or "upon."

Discussion

The term superessive case is used especially in studies of Finno-Ugric grammar.

Generic

Superessive case is a kind of

What is case?What is translative case?

Definition
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Translative case is a case indicating that the referent of the noun, or the quality of the adjective,

that it marks is the result of a process of change.

Examples (Finnish)

-ksiindicates translative case, as in the following examples:

Naapurini tuli rikkaaksimy neighbor became richSource: Sebeok 1946 17

suli vedeksimelted into waterSource: Hakulinen 1961 70

Generic

Translative case is a kind of

What is case?What is vocative case?

Definition

Vocative case is a case that marks a noun whose referent is being addressed.

Example (Latin)

Brute in the following example is in vocative case:

Et tu, Brute!You too, Brutus!

Source: Hartmann and Stork 1972 251

Generic

Vocative case is a kind of

What is case?

What is definiteness?

Definition

Definiteness is a category concerned with the grammaticalization of identifiability and

nonidentifiability ofreferents on the part of a speaker or addressee.

Discussion

Definiteness is frequently expressed by

articles, or affixes having functions similar to articles.

Kinds

Here are some kinds of definiteness:

What is definite identifiability? What is a generic term? What is indefiniteness? What is nonspecificity? What is specificity?
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What is definite identifiability?

Definition

Definite identifiability is a kind of definiteness which indicates that an expressionsreferent(s) is

in some way identifiable to both speaker and addressee.

The referent is identifiable because of a shared knowledge or situation, including a previousmention of the referent.

Examples (English)

the he

Generic

Definite is a kind of

What is definiteness?What is a generic term?

Definition

A generic term is a noun or noun phrase that refers to

a whole class, or any member of a class as a representative of its class.

Examples (English)

A lion is a noble beast. The lion is a noble beast. Lions are noble beasts. The lions are noble beasts.

Source: Hawkins, J. 1978 214

Generic

A generic term is a kind of

What is definiteness?What is indefiniteness?

Definition

Indefiniteness is a kind of definiteness indicating that the referent(s) of an expression are not

presumed to be identifiable.

The referent is not identifiable because of a lack of shared knowledge or situation, including no

previous mention of the referent.

Discussion

Certain demonstratives and pronouns often are used to indicate indefiniteness.

Examples (English)

Here are some examples of words that indicate indefiniteness:

a some
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somebodyGeneric

Indefinite is a kind of

What is definiteness?What is nonspecificity?

Definition

Nonspecificity is a kind of definiteness, expressed by an interpretation of or grammatical marking

on a noun or noun phrase, indicating that the speaker presumably does not know the identity of

the referent(s).

Example (English)

The following sentence has the interpretation that the speaker does not have a particular

Norwegian in mind:

Minna wants to meet a Norwegian.


Generic

A nonspecific is a kind of

What is definiteness?What is specificity?

Definition

Specificity is a kind of definiteness, expressed by the interpretation of or grammatical marking on

a noun or noun phrase, indicating that the speaker presumably knows the identity of the

referent(s).

Examples (English)

The following sentence has the interpretation that the speaker has a particular Norwegian in

mind:

Minna wants to meet the Norwegian.


Generic

A specific is a kind of

What is definiteness?

What is mood and modality?

Definition

Mood is one of a set of distinctive forms that are used to signal modality.

Modality is a facet ofillocutionary force, signaled by grammatical devices (that is, moods), that

expresses the illocutionary point or general intent of a speaker, or a speakers degree of commitment to the expressedproposition's believability,
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obligatoriness, desirability, or reality.

Discussion

The term moodis used by some authors in the same sense modality is.

Others distinguish the two, as we do here, by using moodto refer to the contrastive grammatical

expressions of different modalities and reserving modality to refer to the meanings so expressed.

If, in addition, modality is used to refer to meanings expressed by lexical means as well as

grammatical, it is effectively a synonym of illocutionary force.

Example (English)

Here are some examples of mood and modality; items that signal certain modalities:

Verbal inflections Auxiliary verbs

Kinds

Here are some kinds of mood and modality:

What is irrealis modality? What is necessity? What is possibility? What is realis modality? What is alethic modality? What is deontic modality? What is epistemic modality?

Generic

Mood and modality is a kind of

What is a grammatical category?What is irrealis modality?

Definition

Irrealis modality is a modality that connotes that the proposition with which it is associated is

nonactual or nonfactual.

Kind

Here is a kind of irrealis modality:

What is subjunctive mood?Generic

Irrealis modality is a kind of

What is mood and modality?What is necessity?

Definition

Necessity is a degree of contingency in modality that in

alethic modality connotes logical requirement deontic modality connotes obligation, and epistemic modality connotes certainty.

Generic

Necessity is a kind of
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What is mood and modality?What is possibility?

Definition

Possibility is a degree of contingency in modality that in

alethic modality connotes logical possibility deontic modality connotes permission, and epistemic modality connotes uncertainty or speculation.

Generic

Possibility is a kind of

What is mood and modality?What is realis modality?

Definition

Realis modality is a modality that connotes the factuality of a proposition.

Discussion

In its broad usage, the term realis is approximately equivalent in meaning to the term indicative,

which in turn is used, narrowly, as a synonym todeclarative.

Generic

Realis modality is a kind of

What is mood and modality?What is alethic modality?

Definition

Alethic modality is modality that connotes the speakers estimation of the logical necessity orpossibility of the proposition expressed by his utterance.

Discussion

The adjective alethic is also used in expressions of specific degrees of alethic modality, such as

alethic possibility, or alethic necessity.

Example (English)

Alfred is a bachelor; thus he mustbe unmarried.Adapted from: Lyons 1977b 788

Generic

Alethic modality is a kind of

What is mood and modality?What is deontic modality?

Definition

Deontic modality is modality that connotes the speaker's degree of requirement of desire for, or
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commitment to the realization ofthe proposition expressed by the utterance.

Examples (English)

You maygo at four oclock. All elections shall take place on schedule.

Kinds

Here are some kinds of deontic modality:

What is commissive modality? What is directive modality? What is volitive modality?

Generic

Deontic modality is a kind of

What is mood and modality?What is epistemic modality?

Definition

Epistemic modality is a modality that connotes how much certainty or evidence a speaker has for

the proposition expressed by his or her utterance.

Example (English)

Theres no answer; he musthave already left.

Kinds

Here are some kinds of epistemic modality:

What is evidentiality? What is judgment modality?

Generic

Epistemic modality is a kind of

What is mood and modality?

What is a noun class?

Definition

A noun class system is a grammatical system that some languages use to overtly categorize

nouns. Noun classes are

often based, at least in part, on characteristics (such as gender, animacy, shape) of thereferents of some of the nouns in each class, and

distinguished byo an affix on the noun or by a clitic or word in the noun phrase, ando agreement affixes on noun phrase constituents and on the verb.

Discussion

A finer distinction may be made, according to R. M. W. Dixon, between prototypicalnoun classes

(a grammatical system) and noun classifiers (a lexical set).

Noun class systems have the following characteristics:
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They typically comprise a closed set of two to twenty classes, into which all nouns in thelanguage are divided.

Typically, few or no nouns can occur in more than one class. Expression of the noun class is obligatory in all contexts. Class may be marked on the noun itself, but will also always be marked on otherconstituents in the noun phrase or in the sentence that show concord (agreement) with the

noun.

Examples: Most types of gender systems and concord systems; many IndoEuropean

languages, Bantu languages, Niger Congo languages, Dyirbal (Australian)

Conversely, languages with noun classifiersets have the following characteristics:

They typically involve 20 or more classifiers (separate lexemes that co-occur with thenoun). One hundred classifiers are common, and 400 are attested. Not every noun must take a

classifier.

Many nouns can occur with more than one classifier. The classifier occurs in only some syntactic environments. In addition, use of theclassifier may be influenced by the pragmatics of style and the choice of written or spoken mode.(Often, the more formal the style, the richer the variety of classifiers used, and the higher the

frequency of their use.)

Noun classifiers are always free lexical items that occur in the same noun phrase as thenoun they qualify. They never form a morphological unit with the noun, and there is never

agreement marking on the verb.

Note: Noun classifiers are usually derived from words used as names of concrete, discret

moveable objects.

Examples: Japanese, Chinese, Southeast Asian languages, Austronesian languages, Mayan

languages, American Sign Language

Not all noun classifying languages fit neatly into one of these two prototypes of linguistic

categorization. Various intermediate types are attested in languages of the Americas (see Craig

1986 45 ; Payne, D. 1986 113, 129, 130 ).

Examples (Spanish)

In Spanish, nouns are classified by gender. In the following words, the suffixes -aFEMININE

and -oMASCULINE express the noun class on the noun, and the articles laFEMININE and el

MASCULINE agree with the nouns accordingly:

la hijathe daughter el hijothe son la mesathe table el mercadothe market

Kinds

Here are some kinds of noun classes:

What is an animate class? What is grammatical gender? What is a human class? What is an inanimate class?

Generic

A noun class is a kind of

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What is number?

Definition

Number is a grammatical category ofnouns, pronouns, and verb agreement that expresses count

distinctions (such as "one" or "more than one").

The count distinctions typically, but not always, correspond to the actual count of the referents

of the marked noun or pronoun.

Example (English)

In the word girls, plural number is marked by the suffix -s.

Kinds

Here are some kinds of numbers:

What is dual number?

What is plural number? What is singular number? What is a trial number?

Generic

A number is a kind of

What is a grammatical category?What is dual number?

Definition

Dual number is number which refers to two members of the class identified by the noun.

Generic

Dual number is a kind of

What is number?What is plural number?

Definition

Plural number is number that expresses reference to a quantity greater than that expressed by

the largest specific number category in a language, such as "more than one" in English, and"more than two" in some other languages.

Example (English)

Here is an example of plural number:

The suffix -s expresses plural number, as in the word beggars.

Generic

A plural number is a kind of

What is number?What is singular number?

Definition
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Singular number is number that refers to one member of a designated class.

Examples (English)

The singular form batas opposed to bats. Mass nouns may be indicated by singular number, such as the singular form sugar.

Generic

Singular number is a kind of

What is number?What is a trial number?

Definition

A trial number is a number that refers to three members of the designated class.

Generic

A trial number is a kind of

What is number?

What is polarity?

Definition

Polarity is a grammatical category that distinguishes affirmative and negative.

Generic

Polarity is a kind of What is a grammatical category?

What is tense?

Definition

Tense is a grammatical category, typically marked on the verb, that deictically refers to the time

of the event or state denoted by the verb in relation to some other temporal reference point.

Kinds

Here are some kinds of tenses:

What is absolute tense? What is absolute-relative tense? What is relative tense?

Generic

Tense is a kind of

What is a grammatical category?What is absolute tense?

Definition

Absolute tense is a tense that refers to a time in relation to the moment ofutterance.
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Kinds

What is future tense? What is nonfuture tense? What is nonpast tense? What is not-yet tense? What is past tense? What is present tense? What is still tense?

Generic

Absolute tense is a kind of

What is tense?What is future tense?

Definition

Future tense is an absolute tense that refers to a time after the moment ofutterance.

Kinds

Here are some kinds of future tenses:

What is close future tense? What is hodiernal future tense? What is post-hodiernal future tense? What is predictive future tense? What is remote future tense?

Generic

Future tense is a kind of

What is absolute tense?What is close future tense?

Definition

Close future tense is a tense that refers to a time shortly after the moment ofutterance.

Discussion

Close future tense typically refers to a time within a span ranging through the end of the time

culturally defined as "tomorrow."

Generic

Close future tense is a kind of

What is future tense?What is hodiernal future tense?

Definition

Hodiernal future tense is a future tense that refers to a time that is located after the moment of

utterance within the span culturally defined as "today."

Generic

Hodiernal future tense is a kind of
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What is future tense?What is post-hodiernal future tense?

Definition

Post-hodiernal future tense is a future tense that refers to a time, in relation to the moment of

utterance, after the span that is culturally defined as "today."

Generic

A post-hodiernal future tense is a kind of

What is future tense?What is predictive future tense?

Definition

Predictive future tense is a future tense, used in predictions, that does not express intention.

Generic

Predictive future tense is a kind of

What is future tense?What is remote future tense?

Definition

Remote future is a future tense that refers to a time that is considered relatively distant. It is

characteristically after the span of time culturally defined as "tomorrow."

Generic

Remote future tense is a kind of

What is future tense?What is nonfuture tense?

Definition

Nonfuture tense is an absolute tense that

refers to a time at or before the moment ofutterance, and contrasts with a future tense.

Generic

A nonfuture tense is a kind of

What is absolute tense?What is nonpast tense?

Definition

Nonpast tense is an absolute tense that

refers to a time at or after the moment ofutterance, and contrasts with a past tense.
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Generic

Nonpast tense is a kind of

What is absolute tense?What is not-yet tense?

Definition

Not-yet tense is an absolute tense that refers to times at and before the moment of

utterance in asserting the present and past nonoccurrence of an event or state. It tends to

imply that the event or state is expected to occur in the future.

This tense corresponds to the meaning of the English not yet.

Example (Luganda)

Here is an example of not-yet tense:

te- tu- nna- gendaNEG- we- NOT.YET- go

We have not yet gone.

Source: Comrie 1985b 54

Generic

Not-yet tense is a kind of

What is absolute tense?

What is past tense?

Definition

Past tense is an absolute tense that refers to a time before the moment ofutterance.

Kinds

Here are some kinds of past tense:

What is hesternal past tense? What is hodiernal past tense? What is immediate past tense? What is nonrecent past tense? What is nonremote past tense? What is prehesternal past tense? What is prehodiernal past tense? What is a preterit? What is recent past tense? What is remote past tense?

Generic

Past tense is a kind of

What is absolute tense?What is hesternal past tense?
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Definition

Hesternal past tense is a past tense that refers to a time that is located somewhere in the

span beginning with the period defined culturally as "yesterday" and extends back through

some period that is considered nonremote.

Generic

A hesternal past tense is a kind of

What is past tense?What is hodiernal past tense?

Definition

Hodiernal past tense is a past tense that refers to a time as located before the moment of

utterance within the span culturally defined as "today."

Generic

Hodiernal past tense is a kind of

What is past tense?What is immediate past tense?

Definition

Immediate past tense is past tense that refers to a time considered very recent in relation to

the moment ofutterance.

Generic

Immediate past tense is a kind of What is past tense?

What is nonrecent past tense?

Definition

Nonrecent past tense is a past tense that refers to a time before the range of a contrasting

recent past tense.

Generic

Nonrecent past tense is a kind of

What is past tense?What is nonremote past tense?

Definition

Nonremote past tense is a past tense that refers to a time considered not more than a few

days ago, in contrast to a remote past tense.

Generic

Nonremote past tense is a kind of

What is past tense?
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What is prehesternal past tense?

Definition

Prehesternal past tense is a past tense that refers to a time in some span before that of an

opposing hesternal past tense.

Generic

Prehesternal past tense is a kind of

What is past tense?What is prehodiernal past tense?

Definition

Prehodiernal past tense is a past tense that refers to a time in some span before that of a

contrasting hodiernal past tense.

GenericPrehodiernal past tense is a kind of

What is past tense?What is a preterit?

Definition

A preterit, in traditional terminology, is a simple past tense not marked for aspect or

modality.

Generic

A preterit is a kind of

What is past tense?What is recent past tense?

Definition

Recent past tense is a past tense that refers to a time, culturally and situationally defined,

within the span ranging from yesterday to a week or a few months previous.

Generic

Recent past tense is a kind of

What is past tense?What is remote past tense?

Definition

Remote past tense is a past tense that refers to a time considered more than a few days

ago.

Generic

Remote past tense is a kind of

What is past tense?
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What is present tense?

Definition

Present tense is an absolute tense that refers to the moment ofutterance. It often refers to

events or states that do not merely coincide with the moment of utterance, such as thosethat are

continuous habitual, or lawlike.

Generic

Present tense is a kind of


What is still tense?

Definition

Still tense is an absolute tense carrying the presupposition that an event or state held

before the moment ofutterance.

In positive declarative clauses, still tense asserts that the event or state holds at the

moment of utterance.

Example (Luganda)

The affix-kya

expresses still tense, as in the utterancemu-kya-tudde

you still sit.Generic

Still tense is a kind of


What is absolute-relative tense?

Definition

Absolute-relative tense is a tense

that refers to a time in relation to a temporal reference point that, in turn, is referred toin relation to the moment ofutterance

in which the time and the reference point are not identical, and the reference point and the moment of utterance are not identical.

Kinds

What is future perfect tense? What is future-in-future tense? What is future-in-past tense? What is future-perfect-in-past tense? What is past perfect tense?

Generic
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Absolute-relative tense is a kind of

What is tense?What is future perfect tense?

Definition

Future perfect tense is an absolute-relative tense that refers to a time located before a

contextually determined temporal reference point that must be located in the future relative to

the moment ofutterance.

Example (English)

By that time, he will have returned.

Generic

Future perfect tense is a kind of

What is absolute-relative tense?What is future-in-future tense?

Definition

Future-in-future tense is an absolute-relative tense that refers to a time located in the future,

relative to a temporal reference point that itself is located in the future relative to the moment

ofutterance.

Example (Latin)

daturus erithe will be about to give *diacritics not shown+


Generic

Future-in-future tense is a kind of

What is absolute-relative tense?What is future-in-past tense?

Definition

Future-in-past tense is an absolute-relative tense that refers to a time located in the future,

relative to a contextually determined temporal reference point that itself must be located in the

past relative to the moment ofutterance.Example (English)

John left for the front; he wouldnever return.

Generic

Future-in-past tense is a kind of

What is absolute-relative tense?What is future-perfect-in-past tense?

DefinitionFuture-perfect-in-past tense is an absolute-relative tense that involves three points in time in the

past. The tense refers to a time that is in the future, relative to another point in the past, but is in
http://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsTense.htmhttp://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsAnUtterance.htmhttp://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsAbsoluteRelativeTense.htmhttp://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsAnUtterance.htmhttp://www.sil.org/linguistics/BibliographyLinguistics/Comrie1985B.htmhttp://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsAbsoluteRelativeTense.htmhttp://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsAnUtterance.htmhttp://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsAbsoluteRelativeTense.htmhttp://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsAbsoluteRelativeTense.htmhttp://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsAnUtterance.htmhttp://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsAbsoluteRelativeTense.htmhttp://www.sil.org/linguistics/BibliographyLinguistics/Comrie1985B.htmhttp://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsAnUtterance.htmhttp://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsAbsoluteRelativeTense.htmhttp://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsAnUtterance.htmhttp://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsTense.htm


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the past relative to a point in its future. All these points in time are in the past relative to the

moment ofutterance.

Example (English)

John left for the front; by the time he should return, the field would have been burnt to

stubble.

The burning of the field is in the future relative to Johns leaving, but is in the past relative to his

returning. All these events are in the past relative to the moment of utterance.


Generic

Future-perfect-in-past tense is a kind of

What is absolute-relative tense?What is past perfect tense?

Definition

Past perfect tense is an absolute-relative tense that refers to a time in the past relative to a

reference point, which itself is in the past relative to the moment ofutterance.

Example (English)

The had verb construction expresses past perfect tense, as in the following sentence:

By that time, nearly everyone had left.

The construction had leftis in the past relative to that time, which itself is in the past relative to

the moment of utterance.

Generic

Past perfect tense is a kind of

What is absolute-relative tense?

What is relative tense?

Definition

Relative tense is a tense that refers to a time in relation to a contextually determined temporal

reference point, regardless of the latters temporal relation to the moment ofutterance.

Example (English)

The -ing forms in certain subordinate clauses express relative present tense, as in the following:

Walking in the woods, he saw a squirrel. Walking in the woods, he will find buried treasure.Walking in both cases is understood as simultaneous with the time of the action of the main verb.

This time may have different temporal relations with the moment ofutterance.

Kinds

Here are some kinds of relative tense:
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What is relative future tense? What is relative nonfuture tense? What is relative nonpast tense? What is relative past tense? What is relative present tense?

Generic

Relative tense is a kind of

What is tense?What is relative future tense?

Definition

Relative future tense is a relative tense that refers to a time located after a contextually determined

temporal reference point, regardless of the latters relation to the moment ofutterance.

Example (English)

Passengers about to departon Flight 26 proceeded to Gate 5.

Passengers about to departon Flight 26 should proceed to Gate 5.

Passengers about to departon Flight 26 will proceed to Gate 5.

The time of departure is, in each case, in the future relative to a temporal reference point. In thesecases, the temporal point is likely that of the action expressed by the main verb phrase.


Generic

Relative future tense is a kind of

What is relative tense?What is relative nonfuture tense?

Definition

Relative nonfuture tense is a relative tense that refers to a time simultaneous to, or before, a

contextually determined temporal reference point, regardless of the latter's relation to the moment

ofutterance.

Examples (English)

Those persons [that are] successful in completing the course will receive a certificate. The people entering the stadium received a program.
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