Past Tense Research Articles

The effectiveness of Processing Instruction and Production-Based Instruction on the acquisition of the past tense in Greek by child heritage learners: A preliminary study

The study compares the effectiveness of two communicative approaches to grammar teaching, Processing Instruction (PI) and Production-Based instruction with collaborative tasks (PB), on the acquisition of past tense verb morphology by child heritage learners of Greek. Fourteen child learners of Greek, students at a heritage language school in Hungary, participated in the study. Half of them received PI instruction, which focuses only on the input, providing structured-input activities, and the other half received PB instruction, which focuses on the production of output with meaningful collaborative tasks. Both teaching interventions included a short explicit grammar teaching module. A pre-/post-test design was employed, which consisted of two tasks: a written production task and a sentence repetition task. Results revealed significant gains for both PI and PB instruction. However, both teaching interventions yielded better results in the written production task than in the more cognitively demanding sentence repetition task. Additionally, children who had little or no previous exposure to Greek seem to have profited more in the more cognitively demanding task, irrespective of the type of teaching intervention.

Evidence from bare verbs for the future versus non-future split in Creoles

Abstract Vincentian Creole makes a future/non-future temporal distinction on the basis of the categorisation proposed in several studies, according to which languages combining present and future make a past/non-past distinction and those using the same form for past and present make a future/non-future tense opposition. In Vincentian Creole examples of absolute tense, underspecified (or unmarked) predicates do not generally obtain a future interpretation: only readings in the past tense (for dynamic predicates) or the present (for non-dynamic predicates) are available. Thus, predicates in the future tense are unambiguous regardless of the lexical aspect of these predicates, unlike the context of past and present tense interpretations which I explored in my previous column. Evidence from other English-related creoles supports this claim.

Dead or Alive: A Lifetime Effect of Pomak Nominal Tense in a Self-Paced Reading Experiment

Nominal tense is a cross-linguistically rare and understudied phenomenon, with past vs. non-past being the minimal distinction. In some languages, past nominal tense implies the reading ‘deceased’, while in others, lifetime effects (i.e., implicatures about whether an individual is dead or alive) restrict its use with permanent properties (as with kinship terms). In our study, we investigate for the first time the online processing of lifetime effects in sentences with past nominal tense and kinship terms following contextual information about an individual’s lifetime status (dead or alive). An end-of-sentence acceptability judgment task completes the study. Evidence comes from 25 speakers of Pomak (Slavic, Greece) who use the realis past suffix to form, among others, definite articles, contrasting with a generic suffix for the future, habitual, and irrealis. In collaboration with a local Pomak research assistant, we prepared 80 experimental sentences with past nominal tense in four conditions, manipulating Lifetime Status (dead × alive) and Tense Concord between nominal and verbal tense/aspect (congruent × incongruent). Our results suggest that past nominal tense with kinship terms triggers a lifetime effect which is apparent during online processing. In the sentence final region, dead referents with future verbal tense are read faster, possibly due to the overtness and severity of the violation. Reading disruptions for dead referents while processing nominal tense are also discussed. In the acceptability task, participants rated sentences only based on the agreement of the lifetime status with verbal tense/aspect as the violation is overt and severe. The present study therefore offers support to previous reports of lifetime effects in other languages with nominal tense, highlighting another similarity between nominal and verbal tense.

English fronting constructions as a window to the semantics of tense: the case of belief reports

This paper delves into the temporal interpretation of fronting constructions in English, a topic that has received limited attention in the literature on tense semantics. It presents new empirical findings revealing that specific fronting configurations, involving present tense morphology in a complement CP under a matrix past tense, can yield a theoretically unexpected simultaneous interpretation. A novel theoretical framework for understanding English tense is proposed, which accounts for the temporal interpretation of both fronting and non-fronting versions of attitude reports. The framework introduces a null simultaneous tense as a replacement for the conventional indexical present and the Sequence-of-Tense (SOT) de se tense. It is argued that in complement CPs the null simultaneous tense, as well as past tense, can be anchored either to the attitude time or to the utterance time. In either case, each tense receives a de re interpretation. Moreover, the paper contends that evidence from fronting constructions supports Kratzer’s (Proceedings of semantics and linguistic theory 8, pp. 92–110, 1998) proposal that the transmission of temporal features (as part of the mechanism of SOT) occurs at PF. Finally, the proposed revision of the English tense system contributes to a more unified cross-linguistic perspective on tense. It is demonstrated how the temporal readings of attitude reports arising in such non-SOT languages as Russian, Japanese, and Hebrew can be captured within the system developed for English, with known contrasts attributed to the absence of Feature Transmission in those languages. Further known and new data from English, Modern Greek, and German are examined, revealing variations in SOT effects across SOT languages. These data are used as additional evidence supporting the claim that cross-linguistic variation in the interpretation of complement tense stems solely from differences in Feature Transmission. Regarding the semantic profile of tenses, it can be considered largely invariant.

Bridging Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning through English Presentation Course

This study investigated students' perceptions of synchronous and asynchronous learning in the context of English presentation skills. A qualitative descriptive design was employed, and data were collected from ten students enrolled in an English presentation course using convenience sampling. A semi-structured interview guide was developed to gather information from the participants' perspectives, ensuring they understood the study and their role in it. Thematic analysis was utilized to analyze the collected data, ensuring reliability and logical sorting of themes. To enhance internal validity, the interview guide was reviewed by experienced researchers, and both interviewers practiced the procedure to ensure consistency. Additionally, the resulting themes from the analysis were discussed with a different group of researchers to minimize potential biases. The study revealed that regular practice in forming simple past tense sentences and memorizing common irregular verbs are recommended and crucial for improving language skills. Contextual considerations are essential for choosing the correct tense. Synchronous learning encourages quick thinking, while asynchronous activities allow students to learn at their own pace and reinforce vocabulary. Consistent practice is crucial, and supplementing synchronous learning with asynchronous activities can enhance language skills. Asynchronous learning offers a valuable platform for pronunciation practice and enables students to progress at their own pace. These findings have practical implications for language educators, providing guidance on how to structure their teaching methods to best support their students' language learning.

Linguistic discourse analysis of lexico-grammatical features of moves in the research abstracts of medical students in a Ghanaian university

Writing a quality research abstract is crucial for a scholarly report. An abstract should be information and lexically dense, formal, and have a professional tone. This requires precision, objectivity, logicality, technicality, and comprehensiveness. However, writing a good-quality research abstract is a hurdle for novice and inexperienced undergraduate students who study English as a Second Language (ESL), that is English language learners worldwide. This article interrogates the research abstracts written by undergraduate medical students who also studied English Language at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in Ho, Ghana. A qualitative-quantitative approach, guided by Hyland’s (2000, 2004) five-move model, was used to analyze the lexico-grammatical features in the rhetorical moves of the research abstracts written by these students. A corpus of 23 extracts representing a quota of sample tenses, hedges, boosters, and nominalization were analyzed. The data were coded manually and presented as frequency counts and percentages in tables and graphically. The results revealed that rhetorical moves in the research abstracts written by undergraduate medical students of UHAS in Ho, Ghana were replete with simple past, simple present, and perfect tenses, and lexico-grammatical devices such as hedges, boosters, and nominalization to a greater or lesser extent. The study concludes that the research abstracts written by undergraduate medical students of UHAS follow Hyland’s (2002, 2004) five rhetorical move model, and are constituted by specific lexico-grammatical features. The pedagogical implications are discussed, and suggestions for future research are provided.

Phonological Analysis Of Arabic Diphthongs In Defective Verbs

The Arabic diphthongs have two sounds, which are /aɪ/ and /aʊ/, each in its nouns and weak verbs. This study analyzes phonological rules related to Arabic diphthongs and syllable segmentation among Arabic diphthongs. Qualitative methods are applied in this research, and the content analysis is conducted using Chomsky and Halle’s phonological rules (1968) and Crowley's (1987) theory to analyze all data. The data are collected from the Arabic dictionary called Mu’jam Taşrīf al-`af’āl al-‘arabiyyah and the data are then divided into two categories, namely sound /w/ and /y/. The study observes that the Arabic diphthong sounds are found in nouns and defective verbs with suffixes other than /a/, /t/, and /w/. The study finds that in Arabic, diphthong sounds are deleted in defective verbs when the suffix consists of two phonemes. These sounds transform into long vowel sounds upon adding/a/, indicating the third-person singular male in the past tense. The suffixes /t/ and /w/ similarly convert the diphthong to a primary vowel. This study concludes that phonological changes occur more frequently in Arabic defective verbs than in nouns, following specific rules. Additionally, syllable segments change when the glide sounds forming diphthongs are deleted.

Habituality Markers in Jordanian Arabic

Objectives: This study investigates the grammatical encoding of habituality within Jordanian Arabic. This linguistic phenomenon is expressed through specific markers for different tenses in the dialect. Methods: Our research employs a qualitative, theory-driven methodology rooted in truth-conditional semantics instead of a corpus-based approach. We base our findings on constructed utterances that are placed within specific contexts. Results: In the present tense, habituality is expressed using the copular verb bi-ku:n 'Pres-be'. The copula occurs within nominal sentences, serving as a marker that indicates the habitual nature of the action. The obligatory presence of the copula exclusively enforces a habitual interpretation. Conversely, the obligatory absence of the copula allows for two interpretations: episodic and habitual. Event plurality in the past tense, however, is constructed using the past auxiliary ka:n 'used to'. These constructions are known as periphrastic forms or retrospective habituals (Boneh and Doron, 2008). Conclusions: The periphrastic forms in Jordanian Arabic behave similarly to the perfective aspect, yet they are interpreted imperfectively. These periphrastic habituals are formed using both stage-level and individual-level predicates. However, the periphrastic forms incorporating stage-level predicates without an adverbial adjunct are ambiguous between a habitual and a non-habitual reading. The context serves to differentiate between the two readings.

The influence of nitrogen content on the microstructure and properties of W-Ta-Cr-V-N refractory high-entropy nitrides

To enhance the mechanical performance and corrosion resistance of refractory high-entropy alloys (RHEAs) and to identify materials better suited for severe high-temperature and corrosive environments, this study utilized a double glow plasma surface alloying technique to fabricate a W-Ta-Cr-V-N refractory high-entropy nitride coating on a W substrate. The microstructure and phase structure of the samples were characterized using a scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffractometer. The mechanical properties of the samples were evaluated through microhardness testing, while their corrosion performance was assessed by potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. The study investigated the effects of different nitrogen contents on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and corrosion resistance of the BCC-structured W-Ta-Cr-V alloy in the past tense. The study found that the doping of an appropriate amount of nitrogen can lead to the formation of FCC and HCP structured nitrides. As the nitrogen content increases, there is a significant change in the preferred orientation of the coating. When the nitrogen content is 16.6 at.%, the distribution of the nitrides is uneven, resulting in increased surface undulations and roughness. Conversely, when the nitrogen content is elevated to 48.1 at.%, the clustering of surface nitride particles becomes more pronounced, leading to a decrease in the coating density. The thickness of the nitride coatings is around 10 μm, with a slight decrease in thickness as the nitrogen content increases. The hardness of the coatings is significantly superior to that of the W-Ta-Cr-V alloy films, reaching up to 3465 HV0.25 in the highest instance. The introduction of 31.4 at.% nitrogen results in the densest coating, effectively enhancing the corrosion resistance of the refractory high-entropy alloy. Therefore, the doping of an appropriate amount of nitrogen can alter the microstructure of the refractory high-entropy alloy, improve its mechanical properties, and enhance its chemical stability.

Task-specific writing anxiety and self-efficacy are separate from general L2 writing anxiety and self-efficacy and they have differential associations with the effects of written corrective feedback in pre-task and within-task planning

This study examines the validity of task-specific anxiety and self-efficacy and the joint effects of task-specific and general second language (L2) writing anxiety and self-efficacy on learning gains resulting from different task conditions formed based on two types of written corrective feedback and two types of task planning. 115 high school EFL learners in South Korea were divided into two groups and received either direct correction or metalinguistic feedback on their wrong use of English articles and past tense in their written narratives. After receiving feedback, each of the two large groups was further divided into three subgroups, each performing a second writing task under three conditions: pre-task planning, within-task planning, and no planning. The learners responded to questionnaires that aimed to measure task-specific and L2 general anxiety and self-efficacy. The results demonstrated that task-specific anxiety and self-efficacy were distinct from general L2 writing anxiety and self-efficacy and that they played different roles in L2 development under the different treatment conditions. Specifically, general L2 writing anxiety was a negative predictor of learning gains regardless of learning condition; task-specific anxiety showed a positive effect in metalinguistic explanation + within-task planning but a negative effect in all other task conditions; neither task-specific nor general L2 self-efficacy was a significant predictor of treatment effects. This study demonstrates the importance of investigating task-specific individual difference variables and shows the differential associations between general and task-specific individual difference variables on one hand and different types of task-based instruction on the other.

Aspectual Coercion and Lexical Semantics

Abstract In many traditions of aspectual analysis, verbs (or, rather, predications) are sorted into Aristotelian types, and grammatical aspects are seen as operators that (a) take tenseless propositions as arguments and (b) change the eventuality type of the proposition. This tradition tells us little about how state and action clauses mean what they mean, because it does not explain how aspectual markers affect the meanings of verbs with which they combine. In the present framework, aspectually sensitive constructions selectively bind to componential verb representations, permuting them. In part 1 of this series (Michaelis, 2022), I argued that by viewing such permutations as operations on a verb’s Aktionsart structure, we can explain the relationship between input and output situation types of aspectual mappings effected by verbal morphosyntax. In this article, part 2, I apply this framework to type shifts performed by the English Perfect and Progressive constructions, as well as past and present tenses.

Time reference in French-speaking people with fluent and non-fluent aphasia (part II): a cluster analysis

ABSTRACT Background Tense production is often impaired in people with aphasia (PWA). Interestingly, the literature suggests that not all tenses are affected in the same way, although the pattern of dissociation is still debated in the literature. The heterogeneity of tense production deficits in PWA might partly explain this lack of consensus in the literature. While this heterogeneity has been demonstrated by descriptive statistics or double dissociations in several studies, no study has used cluster analyses to highlight the main patterns of tense dissociation. Furthermore, the factors underlying this heterogeneity have been little explored. Aims Our study aimed to use cluster analyses on tense production performance to (1) identify the main patterns of dissociation between tenses in PWA and (2) explore the clinical (aphasia type and severity) and cognitive (executive disorders and temporality) factors that may underlie these patterns. Methods & procedures Twenty-one French-speaking participants with fluent and non-fluent aphasia completed a verb inflection production task, as well as language and cognitive tests. Cluster analyses were performed on the differences in performance between the tenses on the verb inflection production task. Generalized linear mixed models and nonparametric statistics were used to analyze the effect of tense and its interaction with the clusters, and to compare the clusters on the clinical and cognitive variables. Outcomes & results Cluster analyses revealed two main clusters, one with worse performances in the past and future than in the present (PWA_1 – 70% of the PWA), and the other with worse performances in the past and present than in the future (PWA_2 – 30%). The type and severity of aphasia, and cognitive test performance did not differ between the two clusters. On the other hand, the PWA_2 cluster had a longer time post-onset than the PWA_1 cluster. Conclusions Our results confirm the heterogeneity of verb inflection deficits in PWA. They suggest that most PWA would have difficulties with past and future tenses, questioning the presence of discourse linking in these two tenses. However, a minority of PWA, who are clinically and cognitively indistinguishable from the others, do not follow this pattern. Adopting the strategy of producing a morphologically simple tense in French – future – could explain the high performance in the future tense and the errors in substituting other tenses with the future in this subgroup. Finally, the clinical and research implications of this heterogeneity, in relation to therapies and the lack of consensus in the literature, are discussed.

Tense and aspect in the interlanguage of Slavic speakers learning Romance languages

ABSTRACT The study addresses the research gap of how being a speaker of a Slavic language influences the ability to convey tempo-aspectual meanings in Romance languages by examining personal and impersonal narratives delivered in written and spoken mode by learners of L3 Spanish and L3 Italian with L1 Slovak and L2 English. Narratives are analysed following the methods of interlanguage analysis proposed by Ellis and Barkhuizen [(2005). Analysing learner language. Oxford University Press] and Salaberry and Comajoan [(2013). Research design and methodology in studies on L2 tense and aspect. De Gruyter Mouton], such as coding for grounding, frequency analysis of tense forms and lexical aspectual classes, etc. Following the ideas presented by Bayley (2013, Data analysis: Quantitative approaches. In M. R. Salaberry & L. Comajoan (Eds.), Research design andmethodology in studies on L2 tense and aspect (pp. 357–390). De Gruyter Mouton), binomial logistic regression models were built which showed that (a) the combination of discourse grounding and lexical aspect is of predictive power regarding the appropriateness of participants’ choices of morphological marking; (b) the distributional characteristics of morphological marking on telic predicates differs from activities and statives. One of the main differences compared to the results of previous studies, conducted on speakers of Germanic languages, is that the data did not provide enough evidence for morphological marking being used to convey primarily temporal distinctions (see Salaberry, 1999, The development of past tense verbal morphology in classroom L2 Spanish. Applied Linguistics, 20(2), 151–178. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/20.2.151; Wiberg, E. (1996). Reference to past events in bilingual Italian-Swedish children of school age. Linguistics, 34(5), 1087–1114. https://doi.org/10.1515/ling.1996.34.5.1087]) and presented the marking of telic predicates in foreground with perfective morphology as consistent, disregarding the level of participants’ performance.

Teaching Secondary Meaning in Korean -ess-eya ha- Constructions

ABSTRACT This article investigates the degree to which second language (L2) learners whose first language (L1) is English access the nonactualization inference that arises at the semantic-pragmatic interface in Korean. As in English, when the modal -eya ha- “should, must” interacts with the past tense, a secondary interpretation that the complement does not hold becomes salient. The results from 12 native speakers of Korean and 16 L2 learners of varying study durations suggested that L2 learners do not compute the secondary inferences in the same way native speakers do, regardless of their study duration. A survey of textbooks frequently adopted in Korean teaching programs across the United States and in South Korea suggests that this nonactualization inference resulting from the interaction of modal and tense is not included as part of the lessons across different levels. The current study argues that this inference should be taught explicitly as part of the language program for the learners, given the frequency of this structure. The study also proposes how and when such secondary meaning should be introduced in language classrooms.

Grammaticality judgements of tense by young adult speakers of Shona

This study examined grammaticality judgements of tense by 40 young adult native speakers of Shona during an online task. This study reports response accuracy and reaction times on the reading of time reference violations in which verb forms do not match a time frame previously set by an adverb. The judgements were elicited using 240 sentences with and without grammatical violations during an online reading task. Overall, in the experimental task, the native speakers performed below 78% across the four conditions, despite the sentences having received acceptability ratings of 1 = acceptable, 2 = unacceptable for grammatical and ungrammatical sentences, respectively. Sentences with the violation of the recent past by remote past tense verb had the lowest response accuracy scores. The participants also took the longest time to detect the errors in this same condition, meaning sentences with the recent past adverb context had the lowest response accuracy, with the sentence with the recent past context and remote past tense verb violation the most difficult to detect. The participants were quicker in detecting errors in the sentences with the remote adverb context and recent past tense verb. The findings demonstrate the utility of grammaticality judgement tasks for revealing language processing difficulties.

The Development of Past Tense Forms in Albanian Native Speakers and Learners of English as a Second Language

This study explores how Albanian learners acquire tense-aspect systems, focusing on two distinct groups: adult learners of English as a Second Language (ESL) and young native speakers of Albanian. Drawing on the Aspect Hypothesis (AH), which asserts that the aspectual properties of verbs play a key role in the acquisition of tense-aspect distinctions, the research aims to determine if these learners exhibit universal patterns in their development. Data was collected through written tasks, narrative exercises, and demographic questionnaires from Albanian bachelor’s students and children in grades 2-5. The analysis reveals that Albanian ESL learners demonstrate more variability and complexity in their past tense use, while young native speakers show a more systematic and predictable pattern, consistent with AH predictions. The study provides new insights into how the Aspect Hypothesis operates across different age groups and language contexts, offering valuable recommendations for improving teaching approaches and curriculum design for Albanian ESL learners.

How ignition and target gain [formula omitted] were achieved in inertial fusion

For many decades the running joke in fusion research has been that “fusion” is twenty years away and always will be. Yet, in 2023 we find ourselves in a position where we can talk about the milestones of burning plasmas, fusion ignition, and target energy gain greater than unity in the past tense – a situation that is remarkable! This paper tells some of the story of the applied physics challenges that needed to be overcome to achieve these milestones and the strategy our team followed. Things did not always go well and some practical lessons learned are part of this story. The data shows, getting to a burning plasma in late 2020 and early 2021 was a key tipping-point, after which ignition (August 8, 2021) and target gain (December 5, 2022) were rapidly achieved.

La scelta dell’ausiliare nei tempi composti: Variazione nell'interlingua di apprendenti ungheresi e inglesi di italiano L2/LS

The aim of this study is to identify some factors that determine variability in the interlanguage of L2/FL learners of Italian concerning auxiliary selection (essere ‘to be’ vs avere ‘to have’) in compound past tenses. Data were collected by means of a grammaticality judgement test and a binary choice sentence completion test. The participants were L1 English and Hungarian university students of various levels of proficiency (A2, B1, B2 and C1). The results were interpreted both in correlation with certain learning variables such as L1, proficiency level, and the category the main verbs belong to according to Sorace’s Auxiliary Selection Hierarchy. Based on the results, some hypotheses are put forward on teaching material design and on the possibility of harmonising the didactic intervention and the acquisitional sequence observed.

An Error Analysis on the Use Of Simple Past Tense in Writing Narrative Text of 11th Grade High School Students at SMK Swasta YPK Medan Academic Year 2022/2023

Simple past tense is an action or activity carried out by a subject in the past. Past tense refers to actions in the past and tells us all about their relationship with the present. The purpose of this research is to know types and causes of error on simple past tense. To know dominant error on the use of simple past tense in writing narrative text. To find out difficulties faced by students in comprehending simple past tense and narrative text. The researcher adopts a descriptive qualitative method. Carried out by gathering data from the natural environment without altering the situation. Data of this research is error made by students in written test of past tense. Data source is a writing test with the theme “My Holiday”. It consists of 55 words or more. Tests are distributed to 16 students of SMK SW YPK MEDAN. The researcher found 116 errors from writing test that the researcher carried out, it was found that the highest frequency of error that students made was mis formation about 78.45% errors, omission was 12.93% errors, selection was 5.17% errors, addition was 2.59% the last was mis ordering with 0.86%. the researcher also found that the highest error was caused by intralingual and the second highest was caused by interference.

The Application of Comic-Based Learning Media in Elementary School English Subject

This study aims to analyze the effect of comic-based learning media on learning motivation and English comprehension of grade 4 students at SDS Permata Bangsa. The background of this study is the students' low interest in learning English caused by lack of motivation and less interactive learning media. This study used a descriptive qualitative approach with data collection techniques through questionnaires and observation. The research subjects consisted of 12 grade 4 students with the duration of two learning sessions of 30 minutes each. The questionnaire was distributed at the end of session 2. The questionnaire consists of 9 likert scale statements followed by open-ended questions to provide reasons for each statement. The results showed that the use of comic media significantly improved students' motivation and English language skills. Students felt more motivated and enthusiastic in learning, and felt easier to understand the lessons. The comic incorporated two grammar: Simple Past Tense and Comparative along with vocabulary that focuses on names of animals. This study concludes that comic media can be an effective and interesting learning tool to increase students' motivation and understanding in learning English. Further research on the use of comics in inclusive classrooms are also indicated.