The aorist and the perfect in Albanian*
-
Jean-Louis Duchet
Abstract
The Albanian aorist may refer to a complete accomplishment of a process in the past but also to the accomplishment of a recent process (just like the perfect); it also expresses future reference, condition, and is the tense of maxims (gnomic aorist). Although the perfect has mainly the typical function of a resultative, it is to some extent compatible with definite markers of time. It also has a secondary metalinguistic function. The two tenses are in complementary distribution in narratives and discourse, and, rather than partially replacing the aorist, the perfect has its own development alongside the aorist which retains most of its original functions.
Abstract
The Albanian aorist may refer to a complete accomplishment of a process in the past but also to the accomplishment of a recent process (just like the perfect); it also expresses future reference, condition, and is the tense of maxims (gnomic aorist). Although the perfect has mainly the typical function of a resultative, it is to some extent compatible with definite markers of time. It also has a secondary metalinguistic function. The two tenses are in complementary distribution in narratives and discourse, and, rather than partially replacing the aorist, the perfect has its own development alongside the aorist which retains most of its original functions.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors ix
- Introduction 1
-
Part I. Theoretical issues
- A cognitive and conceptual approach to tense and aspect markers 27
-
Part II. Grammatical encoding of aspectual and temporal distinctions
- Tense, aspect and mood in Nêlêmwa (New Caledonia) 63
- On the tense-aspect system of standard Thai* 109
- Dravidian conceptual basis for the Badaga “tenses” 131
- Tense and aspect in the verbal system of Wolof* 171
- Tense and aspect in Langi* 231
- Aspect in Sikuani 265
-
Part III. Grammatical aspect and Aktionsarten
- Aspect-tense relations in East Greenlandic 297
- On interaction between external and internal markers in expressing aspect in Arabic dialect varieties 325
-
Part IV. Indo-European Aorist and Hamito-Semitic Aorist
- The aorist and the perfect in Albanian* 357
- The aorist in Modern Armenian 375
- The verbal form V-ā in Hindi/Urdu 413
- The aorist in Berber 447
- The Aorist in Zenaga Berber and the Imperfective in two Arabic dialects 465
-
Part V. Perfects and resultatives
- Modern Greek -tos (τος) and -menos (μενος) 505
- Resultative Interpretation of Predicates in Korean* 525
- On two types of result 563
-
Part VI. The Future and future reference
- Future and prospective in the Mongolic languages 599
- The future tenses in the Tibetic languages 625
- No escape from the future 643
- The Bulgarian future in light of the temporal frames of reference 679
-
Part VII. Grammatical change
- Aspect as the source of diathesis in NorthEastern Neo-Aramaic and beyond with remarks on transitivity, accusativity, ergativity and case 705
- Language Index 727
- Author Index 729
- Subject Index 735
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors ix
- Introduction 1
-
Part I. Theoretical issues
- A cognitive and conceptual approach to tense and aspect markers 27
-
Part II. Grammatical encoding of aspectual and temporal distinctions
- Tense, aspect and mood in Nêlêmwa (New Caledonia) 63
- On the tense-aspect system of standard Thai* 109
- Dravidian conceptual basis for the Badaga “tenses” 131
- Tense and aspect in the verbal system of Wolof* 171
- Tense and aspect in Langi* 231
- Aspect in Sikuani 265
-
Part III. Grammatical aspect and Aktionsarten
- Aspect-tense relations in East Greenlandic 297
- On interaction between external and internal markers in expressing aspect in Arabic dialect varieties 325
-
Part IV. Indo-European Aorist and Hamito-Semitic Aorist
- The aorist and the perfect in Albanian* 357
- The aorist in Modern Armenian 375
- The verbal form V-ā in Hindi/Urdu 413
- The aorist in Berber 447
- The Aorist in Zenaga Berber and the Imperfective in two Arabic dialects 465
-
Part V. Perfects and resultatives
- Modern Greek -tos (τος) and -menos (μενος) 505
- Resultative Interpretation of Predicates in Korean* 525
- On two types of result 563
-
Part VI. The Future and future reference
- Future and prospective in the Mongolic languages 599
- The future tenses in the Tibetic languages 625
- No escape from the future 643
- The Bulgarian future in light of the temporal frames of reference 679
-
Part VII. Grammatical change
- Aspect as the source of diathesis in NorthEastern Neo-Aramaic and beyond with remarks on transitivity, accusativity, ergativity and case 705
- Language Index 727
- Author Index 729
- Subject Index 735