Tense Marking Research Articles

The derivatives of Barth's Law in the light of modern Arabic dialects

AbstractIn 1894, Jacob Barth proposed that the preformative conjugation in some of the Semitic languages goes back to a – generally bygone – inverse correlation between the thematic vowel of the stem and that of the conjugational prefix. Evidence for such a distribution is well attested in all branches of Central Semitic, yet it remains disputed whether it should be reconstructed for Proto-Semitic as well. This paper makes use of new data from a living Semitic variety, namely the Arabic dialect of Ḥugariyyah in the south of Yemen, where the pattern observed by Barth is still operative. We examine the interaction of the conjugational prefixes with the dialectal future tense marker š(a)-, and point to cases where the inverse correlation is violated. We outline a sequential development, starting with a phonetically-driven re-distribution of the preformative vowels, and followed by their reanalysis as integral to the prefix. We then propose that comparable developments may have taken place in other Semitic varieties, predominantly Akkadian, and thus view the Akkadian preformative conjugation as a derivative of a former inverse correlation, as reconstructed by Barth.

An Extended Study on Tense and Aspect Markers in Pagu

This paper revisits four clitics of Pagu (a West-Papuan language spoken in North Halmahera, Indonesia) those that have been described as Tense and Aspect markers (Wimbish 1991): -oka, -ou -osi, and -uli. The first one is considered a tense marker for ‘non-future’ time, while the other three are aspect markers for ‘perfective’, ‘imperfective’, and ‘repetitive’ respectively. Following a metatypy approach (Ross 2006; 2001), I argue that while these clitics have the tense-aspect functions, at the same time under a unified analysis, each should have an extended function vis. a ‘locational marker of space and time’, ‘confirmative’, ‘durative’, and ‘repetitive presupposition marker’, respectively. These meanings and functions are based on the speakers’ interpretation of them in the local lingua franca (a variety of the North Maluku Malay). This supports Bowden’s (2012) argument that the indigenous languages of North Halmahera (Papuan) have influenced the present varieties of Malay spoken as the lingua franca in the region.

The L3 acquisition of English tense-aspect system by Uygur speakers with L2 Mandarin Chinese

This paper examines the role of Lexical Aspect Hypothesis (LAH) and linguistic typological similarity in the L3 acquisition of English tense and aspect among Uygur speakers with L2 Mandarin Chinese (Chinese hereafter). LAH asserts that the emerging verbal inflections at the early stage of language acquisition primarily function as markers of the lexical aspect and thus predicts universality for acquisition of tense and aspect. However, with an assumption of language transfer, the typological closer relationship of Uygur with English in terms of the tense and aspect system was expected to trigger L1 transfer in L3 acquisition. The study analyzed the English tense and aspect forms used by the participants (N = 25) for verbs of four distinct lexical aspects (50 target items) in contexts of past. The result shows that the lexical aspect influences the appropriate use of past tense—past tense marker aligned with telic predicates (achievements and accomplishments), -ing with activities (for inappropriate uses), and nonpast with states (for inappropriate uses), and the influence is observed at each proficiency level. The results show little evidence for language transfer in the acquisition of the English past tense, either from L1 Uygur or L2 Chinese; instead, the data suggest that L3 acquisition of tense and aspect is more subject to acquisitional universality (LAH).

PF-Representation of Tense Feature on DPs: Morphosyntax of the φ-Agreeing T-Marker Tau

This research revises, develops and offers empirical evidence to two assumptions discussed in Pesetsky & Torrego’s (2007) theory which claims that tense feature [T] is associated with and expressed on DPs in syntax. Investigating the syntax of a T-marker tau, used in Najdi Arabic, in contexts where tau interacts with DPs in the spine of the clause, empirical evidence is provided that [T] assumed to be associated with DPs is generated in syntax and spelled out at PF. This takes place by the minimalist strategy where a clitic φ-agreeing with the relevant DP is spelled out on tau.[1]This clitic is a PF device indicating that a DP is marked with Tense information RECENT. This clitic is morphological realisation of φ-content on tau that is processed in syntax in turn of tau’s valuation to [T] on a DP. Mapping syntax-morphosyntax to LF, Agree (Chomsky 2001) is established between tau and a DP in which i-[T] on tau values u-[T] on the DP on the condition that i-[φ] on the DP value u-[φ] on tau. Furthermore, this analysis, contrary to Pesetsky & Torrego (2007), claims that [φ]-features on T° are crucial in valuing [T] feature on DP.[2][3][1] T-marker = Tense marker.[2] We represent the notion of feature using the convention ‘square brackets’ with the feature label. So, [T] means Tense feature and [φ] means [φ]-features.[3] LF = Logical form interface (Thought interface). PF = Phonological form interface (Sound interface).

The Use of Inflection Morphology of Tense and Agreement in English Among Chinese Second Language Learners in College

This study examines how Chinese learners of English use four English verb inflectional morphological changes, namely the third person singular -s, the past tense -ed, the copula be and the auxiliary be. Unlike English, subject-predicate agreement and tense marking tense markers are not present in Chinese. Therefore, this difference between the two languages can cause difficulties in second language learning. To explore English language learners' use of verb inflection changes, this study investigated the spontaneous production data of four Chinese college students in online classes. The results show that the four Chinese undergraduates had the highest error rate in the inflection change of the third-person singular verb, slightly higher than the inflection change of the past tense of the verb. That indicates the correct rate of verb inflection change of past tense is slightly higher than that of agreement. Moreover, the copula be and the auxiliary he is rarely used by learners. This has implications for English teaching activities, and Chinese university English teachers can adapt their teaching to these situations by focusing more on students' use of inflexion changes in production tasks.

Revisiting the Description of Tense in English

The controversy surrounding the description of tense in English has remained because scholars have concentrated on carving descriptive niches for themselves rather than paying appropriate attention to its causative factor(s), resulting in three different descriptions: traditional, structural, and systemic. This paper identifies the genesis of the problems, points out how this hinders the attainment of descriptive accuracy, and proffers some solutions. It contends that arguments, such as whether or not there is a future tense for English, stem from the way tense is generally conceptualised. It examined ten standard definitions of tense and found that the keyword grammaticalisation is narrowly interpreted to mean the morphological only, whereas a language’s grammatical system consists of both syntactical and morphological aspects. The non-recognition of the syntactical component—even by grammarians that acknowledge future tense—is the root of the descriptive issues with tense. The paper proposes syntactical marking, achieved by placing the auxiliary WILL/SHALL or BE GOING TO before the base form verb, as the mechanism for future tense marking in English. In effect, English has a three-tense system, and its modes of marking are morphological (for present and past tenses) and syntactical (for future tense).

Treatment of verb tense morphology in agrammatic aphasia: A systematic review

This paper aims to review the literature on the therapeutic approaches employed for the treatment of verb tense inflection in individuals with agrammatic aphasia and the reported outcomes on language production and verb tense inflection. All studies on the treatment of verb tense inflection were found by searching Cochrane library, ISI Web of Knowledge, Google Scholar, Pubmed, and Scopus until December 2020, with the combination of these keywords, ‘aphasia, verb, morphology, tense, therapy, treatment, rehabilitation’. All studies (single-case or group design) on the treatment of verb tense inflection in individuals with acquired aphasia were reviewed. Data were synthesized descriptively through tables to allow the facilitated comparison of the studies. The methodology of the reviewed studies was assessed using single-case experimental designs (SCED) scale. An adaptation of the Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias (RoB) tool was employed to evaluate the risk of bias (RoB) in the reviewed studies. A total of 14 studies were selected and reviewed. The results of the reviewed studies demonstrated that the remediation of tense morphology production in individuals with agrammatic aphasia is effective and verb tense marking can be improved by therapies that specifically target this disorder. This review highlights the need for a more systematic investigation of different types of treatments for tense marking. Also, more detailed information about the treatment of regular vs irregular verbs are required to elucidate the potential efficiency of these two verb types in the treatment of tense inflection. Overall, regarding the theoretical and clinical aspects, the number of studies that specifically target tense morphology are growing and based on the positive potential of these treatments, they could be suitable for the rehabilitation of people with aphasia, especially those with agrammatism.

Speech representation used by Mandarin Chinese-speaking children aged three to six years.

This study investigates how Mandarin Chinese-speaking children use Mandarin Chinese, a language lacking tense markers, to represent characters' speech in their story narratives. Eighty participants, from three to six years of age, completed an elicited narrative task based on a wordless picture book. The representing forms and signals that they employed in representing activities were assessed. The results showed a significant age-related increase in the overall use of speech representation by the cohort of children. Regarding representing forms, direct representation exhibited its expected dominance among all age groups, and its presence in children's narratives grew significantly with age. Concerning representing signals, shuō 'say' was the most prevalent across all ages and susceptible to significant age effects, and, with advancing age, children's representing signals expanded from single verbs to more complex syntactic constructions. In addition, no significant gender effects were observed regarding the representing forms or signals that Mandarin-speaking children used.

Oral Language Acquisition in Preschool Children Who are Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing.

The purpose of this study was to compare developmental trajectories of oral language acquisition of children who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) and children with typical hearing across the preschool years. Thirty children who are DHH who use amplification and spoken language and 31 children with typical hearing completed an early language and literacy assessment battery every six months from age 4 to age 6. The developmental trajectories of each group's language skills were examined via growth curve analysis. Oral language skills were lower for children who are DHH than for children with typical hearing at study entry. For vocabulary, children who are DHH demonstrated growth over the two years but did not close the gap in performance over time. For morphosyntax, specifically verb tense marking, children who are DHH demonstrated growth over preschool, becoming more adult-like in their productions.

The nature and causes of children's grammatical difficulties: Evidence from an intervention to improve past tense marking in children with Down syndrome.

Children with language learning difficulties frequently display problems learning grammar. One such group is children with Down syndrome. This study evaluates the effectiveness of an intervention to teach the use of the regular simple past tense to children with Down syndrome. Trained teaching assistants delivered the intervention for 20min per day for 10weeks. We conducted a Randomised Controlled Trial, with a waiting list control design in which the Intervention group (N=26) received the intervention immediately, while the delayed intervention group (N=26) received the intervention later. Immediately following the intervention, the intervention group showed significantly larger gains in the use of regular simple past tense forms (d=1.63 on a composite measure of simple past tense formation) as well as generalisation to verbs not explicitly taught. In addition, following the intervention children made overregularisation errors by incorrectly using regular simple past tense marking for irregular verbs; such errors support the claim that children had acquired generative knowledge underlying past tense marking. The delayed intervention control group showed identical benefits from the intervention when they received it, and the gains shown by the intervention group were maintained at follow up testing. This study shows that children with Down syndrome, who display severe language difficulties, can be taught to use simple past tense marking. The theoretical and applied implications of these findings for understanding the nature, causes and treatments of children's language difficulties are discussed.

Is the future near or far depending on the verb tense markers used? An experimental investigation into the effects of the grammaticalization of the future.

Psycholinguistic approaches that study the effects of language on mental representations have ignored a potential role of the grammaticalization of the future (i.e., how the future manifests linguistically). We argue that the grammaticalization of the future may be an important aspect, as thinking about the future is omnipresent in our everyday life. The aim of this study was to experimentally manipulate the degree of future time references (i.e., present and future verb tense and temporal adverbials) to address their impact on the perceived location of future events. Across four experiments, two in French and two in German, no effect was found, irrespective of our verb and adverbial manipulations, and contrary to our hypotheses. Bayes factors confirmed that our null effects were not due to a lack of power. We present one of the first empirical accounts investigating the role of the grammaticalization of the future on effects of mental representations. We discuss possible reasons for these null results and illustrate further avenues for future research.

The syntax and semantics of Gã future markers

ABSTRACT This paper explores the syntax and semantics of two grammatical markers of future time in Gã (Niger–Congo, Kwa) – bàá- and àá-. The coexistence of àá- and bàá- over a long period, coupled with their overlapping roles, has led to some inconsistency in their analysis. I show that in modern Gã, bàá- is the most prevalent future marker, with àá- existing much less prominently alongside it. Data from natural speech and elicitation reveal that both markers have modal functions in addition to the temporal function. bàá- can also be used aspectually to mark habits. Due largely to the overwhelming frequency of the temporal function in the discourse data, I maintain that the primary function of bàá- is as a future tense marker. It is therefore not purely a modal. àá- has all but fallen out of use and has a more modal than temporal function. This study uncovers previously unreported non-temporal uses of bàá- and underscores the crucial role played by frequency in the determination of category function.

Процессы стяжения аналитических конструкций в чалканском языке (на примере аналитической конструкции -ып ал-)

This paper describes phonetic transformations occurring during the synthetization of analytic verb constructions with the auxiliary verb al- “to take” in the Chalkan language. The examples of the reduction of the verb under study during the conjugation of adverbial participial analytic constructions in various temporal fields are presented. In Chalkan, not only can analytic constructions be contracted into single words, but also contractions occur within verb forms. As a result, personal or tense markers are completely or partially lost. Sometimes, even parts of lexical stems are lost within various phonetic transformations, with various homographs being formed. When analytic constructions are contracted with the auxiliary verb al-, the latter can be fully or partially preserved depending on the tenses. For example, when verbs in past tense with -gan and in future tense with -yr in positive forms are conjugated, only the anlaut broad vowel а- of the auxiliary verb al- is preserved. In past tense forms with -dy, -tyr and present tense forms with -yp tyt, two variations with full preservation of the auxiliary verb al- and with the anlaut broad vowel а- can be used. When contracted analytic constructions in negative forms are conjugated, the auxiliary verb al- is fully reconstructed in all tenses. In all tenses, similar phonetic processes take place: elimination of the adverbial participle markers after stems with consonants and preservation of the adverbial participle markers after stems with vowels. However, the auslaut voiceless consonant -p- is replaced by the voiced consonant -v- in the intervocalic position.

Production of Persian Morphosyntactic Structures Based on P-LARSP: Comparing Children With/Without Hearing Loss

Objective Despite all advancements in hearing amplification, screening, and interventions, concerns still exist about the language outcomes in children with mild to severe hearing loss. The present study aimed to investigate the production of inflectional morphemes, phrase, and clause structures of children with Moderately Severe Hearing Loss (MSHL) and compare with those of the children with Normal Hearing (NH). Materials & Methods The study participants were 88 NH children, aged 2-5 years, and 10 MSHL children, aged 5-6 years. They were recruited by a convenient sampling method. Speech therapists collected language samples in a free play context of the study children, and then the language samples were transcribed and segmented according to P-LARSP (language assessment, remedy, and screening procedure). Of 100 analyzable units, the speech therapists identified, allocated, and counted 14 inflectional morphemes and all clause and phrase structures in each language sample. Results Children with MSHL used significantly fewer numbers of inflectional morphemes (P=0.004), verb/complement+personal pronoun (P=0.009), and prefix/mi/as a tense marker (P=0.025), lower mean length of morpheme/analyzable utterances (P=0.003), higher percentages of one-word utterances (P=0.001), and lower numbers of clause structures in stage V (P=0.002) compared with NH children aged 4-5 years. While the types of clause structures in children with MSHL were similar to those in NH children aged 24-36 months. However, the types of produced inflectional morphemes were restricted compared with all groups of children with NH. Conclusion The present study revealed that children with MSHL are behind younger children with NH in grammatical aspects of the Persian language. They used simpler clauses, limited numbers, and types of inflectional morphemes, as well as clause and phrase structures, and mainly relied on one-word utterances. Continued monitoring of grammatical outcomes is warranted, considering that children who are MSHL are at increased risk for language problems.

CONDITIONAL CONVERB IN FOREST ENETS: A CORPUS-BASED STUDY OF ITS SYSTEM OF USES

This corpus-based study examines the functions of the conditional converb in Forest Enets and investigates the differences in its use between two generations of Enets speakers. In line with the previous descriptions, independent clauses with conditional converbs are used as self-addressed questions (yes/no, special, and alternative questions). The conditional converb of the verb ɛ ‘be’ when used with numerals is developing into a marker of approximation. Dependent clauses with conditional converbs include protases of conditional and concessive conditional constructions as well as complement clauses. This study discusses the diachronic relation between independent clauses with conditional converbs and the protasis of conditional constructions and concludes that either of the two directions of development is possible. Complement clauses with conditional converbs include, first, irrealis complements to negative propositional attitude predicates (dʲɔxara ‘not know’, dʲurta ‘forget’), which, showing signs of relatively recent grammaticalization, have hitherto received scant attention by scholars, and, second, sentential subjects in modal constructions with such predicates as sɔjza ‘good’, bɔɔ ‘bad’ etc. To compare the use of the Enets conditional converb across types of clauses and generations of speakers, this paper analyses the occurrence of the future tense marker on the converb, the order of clauses in multi-clause constructions, the range of verbs in the main and in the dependent clauses. Many of these parameters can be interpreted as the signs of the growing level of clause integration in the process of grammaticalization of polypredicative constructions.

‘-었-’의 기능 및 관련 현상 연구: 정신공간 이론을 중심으로

Korean Semantics, 74. The purpose of this paper is to explain the meaning of the prefinal ending ‘-ess-’ and related phenomena in modern Korean from the perspective of Mental space theory (Fauconnier 1985/1994, 1997; Cutrer 1994). This paper suggests that although ‘-ess-’ itself is not a space builder, it can construct an event space (space E) prior to BASE. An expression with ‘-ess-’ can mean the present result state of past event when FOCUS is located in the present space. Even in such cases, EVENT is located in space E which is prior to V-POINT. ‘-Ess-’ is, therefore, a past tense marker. The related phenomena can be explained as follows; First, even when the situation is true to the present, ‘-ess-’ can be used if the location of EVENT is prior to V-POINT. Second, the use of ‘-ess-’ in future situation can be explained by assuming non-factual space which expresses the resultant situation of EVENT space prior to it.

Agglutination underlies superficial fusion in Western Armenian verbal inflection

Verbs in Western Armenian (Indo-European) inflect for both subject agreement and tense. Subject and tense marking is often fused, which makes segmentation difficult. We show that, despite surface fusion, verbal inflection in Western Armenian is fundamentally agglutinative. By segmenting subject and tense suffixes across the verbal paradigm, we capture syncretic patterns and other interactions between inflectional slots that a fusional account does not. Our analysis requires limited but systematic use of zero morphs. Our agglutinative model of Western Armenian verbs reveals that inwardly-sensitive morphologically-conditioned allomorphy has priority over its outwardly-sensitive counterpart.

COMPARING ACCOUNTS OF ENGLISH WH-QUESTIONS ACQUISITION BY MONOLINGUALS AND BILINGUALS UNDER VARIOUS CONDITIONS

The comparison of English wh-questions acquisition by monolinguals, bilinguals and EFL learners showed inter-groups similarities, which included wh-questions formulaic use, overgeneralization, non-inverted structures, archiforms, double marking of auxiliaries and past tense. The authors suggest a special role of there is/are structures in the wh-questions acquisition by EFL learners. The research results allow assuming the impact of universal factors upon the process of wh-questions acquisition irrespective of the learners’ age, onset of the bilingualism, if they acquire English as the first or the second language, or whether it is acquired in the formal or informal environment.

COMPARING ACCOUNTS OF ENGLISH WH-QUESTIONS ACQUISITION BY MONOLINGUALS AND BILINGUALS UNDER VARIOUS CONDITIONS

The comparison of English wh-questions acquisition by monolinguals, bilinguals and EFL learners showed inter-groups similarities, which included wh-questions formulaic use, overgeneralization, non-inverted structures, archiforms, double marking of auxiliaries and past tense. The authors suggest a special role of there is/are structures in the wh-questions acquisition by EFL learners. The research results allow assuming the impact of universal factors upon the process of wh-questions acquisition irrespective of the learners’ age, onset of the bilingualism, if they acquire English as the first or the second language, or whether it is acquired in the formal or informal environment.

On the interplay between tense marking, aspect and temporal continuity in Udora Komi

The Udora dialect of Zyrian Komi lacks the morphological opposition between the present and future tenses that is found in other Komi dialects and the written standard. The morphemes corresponding to these tenses are, however, found in this dialect, with individual verbs showing a strong tendency to choose one of the two. This study shows that the two morphemes are not in free variation but rather carry various grammatical meanings, and that the variants are strongly connected to the lexical aspect of individual verbs. Due to the rigidity of the system, the authors refer to the variants here as conjugation types. The -as- conjugation type, which corresponds to the Standard Komi future marker, occurs with all transitive verbs and a majority of intransitive verbs. However, the study also identifies a group of intransitive verbs occurring with the conjugation type -e̮-. The verbs in the latter group can be analysed as temporally continuous. Additionally, there are other subgroupings that can be postulated, including verbs that describe involuntary actions. The system interacts in a predictable manner with Komi derivational morphology. The study also corroborates the previously proposed historical connection between this characteristic of verbal morphology in the Udora dialect and Old Komi. The authors suggest that the verbal morphology seen in these Komi varieties must predate the contemporary tense system. The study provides a new direction for analysing the development of the tense system in the Permic languages, as it is shown that the factors underlying the variation extend beyond transitivity. As a previously undescribed phenomenon, the study describes the use of the Udora conjugation types in narrative tense structuring and demonstrate parallels with Standard Komi.