Abstract
Abstract In this chapter we consider the properties and the distribution of the present perfect in some Germanic and Romance languages. The reason the phenomena concerning the present perfect are especially interesting is that this tense raises an interesting problem, the so-called present perfect puzzle, discussed at length in the literature. Such a problem cannot be trivially explained by means of either a semantic theory or a pragmatic one, and it has never been addressed from a morphosyntactic perspective. As we will see better in 3.1.5., the present perfect puzzle consists of the impossibility, in certain languages, for a present perfect to cooccur with certain temporal adverbials: John has left(* at four). We will show that a morphosyntactic account of the verbal systems of the languages in question is the necessary starting point for any semantic (or pragmatic) theory of the present perfect. In particular, we will see that our application of the minimalist approach, which we have sketched in the previous chapters, to the verbal domain will be especially fruitful, in that it will provide the technical background for the crosslinguistic analysis we are going to develop here.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
