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Some Observations on Tense and Deixis in English

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 April 2026

Rodney Huddleston
Rodney Huddleston*
Affiliation:
University of Queensland
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Abstract

The distinction between ‘full verbs’ and ‘auxiliaries’ is not relevant to tense: criteria of compatibility with temporal adverbs etc. suggest that separate tense selections are associated with the modal and aspectual auxiliaries, which are accordingly analysed as main verbs in deep structure. Deep tense, a ternary system, is contrasted with the binary surface-tense system: deep tense is marked by conjunctions, by temporal specifiers, and by the class of the preceding verb, as well as by surface tense inflections; while surface tense marks the axis of orientation and unreality as well as deep tense proper. Co-occurrence relations between tenses and temporal specifiers are examined; the last section deals with the realunreal contrast in if clauses.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Language , Volume 45 , Issue 4 , December 1969, pp. 777 - 806
Copyright
Copyright © 1969 Linguistic Society of America

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