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new defaults for tense and aspect
- From: MorphemeAddict@hidden.email
- Date: Sat, 29 Dec 2007 23:10:18 EST
- Subject: new defaults for tense and aspect
- To: saweli@yahoogroups.com
I'm trying out a new default for tense and aspect. It's based directly on the Katanda defaults at
http://www.eskimo.com/~ram/Katanda/Katanda.html
The main thing is to know whether a verb is static (-x-), with default present-imperfective, or dynamic (-z-), with default past-perfective.
15.2 Default Tense and Aspect
In the interlingua, we will create a few simple rules that will make the intended tense and aspect obvious - even to a computer - when an explicit tense-aspect marking is missing. Here are the rules that I feel are both natural and efficient:
1. If the verb follows a conjunction then it will have the same
tense and aspect as the preceding verb that it is linked to.
2. Otherwise, if an embedded clause is introduced by a case tag
derived from a root that specifies tense (i.e., 'before', 'after',
'when', 'until', and 'since'), or that implies the same tense as the
main clause (e.g. 'if/then', 'means/method', etc.), then the default
tense of the embedded clause will be the same as the tense of the
main clause.
3. Otherwise, the default tense of a deontic modality (either a
deictic disjunct or a derivation) will be hypothetical
future. (We'll have more to say about Modality later.)
4. Otherwise, the tense and aspect of unmarked verbs will be
present-imperfective for "-s" verbs and past-perfective for "-d"
verbs.
5. If a verb is modified by a temporal adverb, then the adverb will
override all of the above. When the aspect is not specified by the
adverb, then, if the tense changes to past or future, the aspect
will be perfective; otherwise, the aspect will be imperfective. If
the aspect is specified by the adverb but the tense is not, then the
tense will be the default as determined above.
Here are some examples:
He break the window. A/P-d main verb
= He broke the window.
He ask me a question. A/P/F-d main verb
= He asked me a question.
He know geometry. P/F-s main verb
= He 'is knowing' geometry.
= He knows geometry.
John walk to school. AP-s main verb
= John is walking to school (at this very moment).
He knows that Mike lie. ["to lie" = A/P-d]
= He knows that Mike lied.
John buy a new bicycle yesterday.
= John bought a new bicycle yesterday.
He speak to his sister tomorrow.
= He will speak to his sister tomorrow.
He speak to his sister three times.
= He spoke to his sister three times.
[Since "three times" does not indicate tense (just iterative
aspect), the default past tense applies.]
He speak to his sister now.
= He is speaking to his sister now.
[The adverb "now" forces the verb to be present imperfective.]
He arrived after you go.
= He arrived after you left.
John will use the computer after you fix it.
= Unchanged
Bill will wash the car after you leave.
= Unchanged.
Note in the last three examples that English uses the non-finite forms "fix" and "leave", even though future tense is implied, but must redundantly use the finite form "left" even though the main clause has past tense.
stevo