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Ann Ochkovska Ivan FrankoZhytomyrState
University Scientific supervisor: Candidate
of Sciences M.V.Polkhovska
The Development of English
Perfect Constructions: structure and semantics The perfect is a system of verbal forms expressed by a
combination of the past participle and any form of the auxiliary verb to have [6:
274]. The place of
Perfect in the system of Tense in the modern English language causes the
biggest number of discussions among linguists. In the theoretical grammar of the
Modern English there exist the following discrepancies in the definition of the
category, to which perfect forms should belong: "tense" view, "aspect"
view, "tense-aspect blend" view, "time correlation" view.The
traditional analysis of the perfect (as the tense form denoting the priority of
one action in relation to another action) was developed by H. Sweet, G. Curme,
and other linguists [2: 107]. M. Deutchbein, G. N. Vorontsova and others consider
the perfect to be an aspective form because the perfect forms denote some
result, some transmission of the past to the present [1: 111-113].
I. P. Ivanovaanalyses the perfect as the verbal form expressing temporal and
aspective functions in a blend. Professor A. I. Smirnitsky was the first to put
forward the idea that the perfect forms its own category, which is neither a
tense category, nor an aspect category and he suggested the name "the category of time correlation” [5: 304]. The object of this paper is English Perfect
construction, the subject– the
structural and semantic peculiarities of English Perfect constructions
development. Process of formation of any new
verb category and its inclusion in the paradigm is the subject of many linguistic
researchesboth in theoretical grammar and history of the English Language. Linguists,
who study the language in diachrony, such as G. N.Vorontsova,
A. I. Smirnitsky, G. Fridren, F. T.Visser have no consensus about the period of emergence and
the final establishment of the Category of Perfect. In the Old English languagethe most usual way of
expressing the Perfect is a synthetic one, though at that period there existed
some free syntactic combinations with beonorhabbanand Past Participle, which start
the process of grammaticalization at the end of the Old English period.In the
Middle English language the process of grammaticalization of the free syntactic
combinations continues to develop and as a result the model becomes universal,
that means that it can be used almost with all the verbs. In the Early Modern
Englishlanguage begins the process ofPerfectinclusioninthe
verbalparadigmand expansion ofrelationsbetweendifferent
categories ofverbs[4:
102]. During Early Modern English the very important process
started – paradigmatization. The analytical construction acquires its semantic
invariant and begins to be used with other verbal forms. By the end of this
period the form enters the verbal paradigm and gains its modern meanings. In Early Modern English two perfect constructions are
used, they are tobe +ParticipleIIandtohave +ParticipleII. The
first one is used only with the verbs of motion, while the second is used with
all verbs including verbs of motion: (1)Madam, he has
gone to serve the Duke of Florence[8:78]; (2)When
haply he shall hear that she is gonehe
will return[8:81]. In the Early Modern English the present form of perfect structure tohave+ParticipleIIis used to express all meanings
of modern Present Perfect: ü
an action which took place in the past and
continues up to the present moment: (3) Or do I dream? Orhave
I dream'd till now[8:1758]? ü
an action which took place in the past but the
exact time isn’t mentioned: (4) Hath promis'd me to help me to another, A fine musician to instruct our mistress[8:1769]; (5)I have seen
them in the church together[8:1802]. ü
a repeated past action which occurred before the
moment of speaking: (6) SigniorHortensio,
I have often heard Of your entire affection to Bianca[8:1791]. ü
an action which has recently finished and which
result is obvious in the present: (7) And,
to conclude, we have 'greed so well
together that upon Sunday is the wedding-day[8:1777]. (8) Iknow
you think to dine with me to-day, and have
prepar'd great store of wedding cheer but so it is my haste doth call me
hence, and therefore here I mean to take my leave[8:1785] . Sometimes Present Perfect
is used to express the meanings of Past Simple but in the Early Modern Englishthisphenomenonisresidual. Theusageof theperfectforms with the auxiliary verbto beboth in presentandpastis
very limited,in contrast tothe Middle Englishlanguage. For example, the Present
Perfect with the auxiliary verbto be
is used to denote anaction which happened at an unstated time in the past: (9) Madam,
my lord is gone, for ever gone[8:78]. The new meanings formed in Early New English were
Present Perfect Continuous and Past
Perfect. Present Perfect Continuousis used to denote the durative action which
started in the past and continues up to the present: (10) To
express the like kindness,myself, that have
been more kindly beholding to you than any, freely give unto you this young
scholarthat hath been long studying
at Rheims; as cunning in Greek, Latin, and otherlanguages, as the other in
music and mathematics[8:1773]. Past Perfectis used to express an action that happened
before another past action: (11) I
would not marry her though she were endowed with all thatAdam had left him before he transgress'd[8:1442]. The Past Perfect with the auxiliary verbto be is used to denote the action which
took place before a certain past moment and used with the verb of motion: (12) For
my part, I only hear your sonwas run
away[8:78]. The
developmentof the word orderin Early Modern English occursgraduallyandis accompanied
by aloss ofendings.The common typeof the narrativesentences is SVO. In Early Modern English arrangement of
the mainelementsof the sentencebecomes morefixed.Althoughwe still find the
cases of inversion, especially in the sentences with analyticalstructures.In
mostcases, theinversionin sentenceswithperfectconstructions is caused bythe
adverbial modifiers of time, place andobjects.
Analysis of thestructure ofthe sentences with perfect constructions from the standpoint of
generativegrammarprovides evidence thatthe main functional projections of the sentence with the perfect
constructionareСР (complimentizer
phrase), TP (tense phrase), PerfP (perfect phrase) and vP (verbalizer phrase). Auxiliaryverbto haveis
generatedin the functionalprojectionPerf.P,butmovesto the
positionTin order toobtainmorphologicalendingsof time andperson. The verb is
generated in VP but moves to the projection vP and there receives the ending, which also moves to the position
of vP due to the process of Affix Hopping. According to the fact that perfect constructions
consist of the auxiliary verb and the past participle thestructure ofthe
sentences with perfect
constructions is more complex and following considerations should be taken into
account: - the VP-internal subject hypothesis; - the morphological complexity of the perfect
participle; - the idea that inflectional endings are associated
with functional projections; -the locality conditions on movement [7: 304]. Structuralshiftsin the
sentenceswithperfectconstructionsinvolve a changein
itscommunicativeorientation.Anynon-standardusage ofan element inthe structure
of anarrativesentenceoccurs due toitsmovement. Structuralposition forthis
elementisin the functionalprojectionCP. According to the
theory of thegenerativegrammar, the functional projectionCPsplits
intoadditionalprojections -TorP(Topic Phrase)andFocP (Focus Phrase).TopP is
thefunctionalprojection, the top of whichhasa sign
of topicalization. ProjectionFocPcontainsfocusedmaterial
thatcauses theinversionof known information [3: 134]. For example, in
the sentence (13) The tedious minutesIwith herhave spent[8:1404], two structural elements thetediousminutes and withher are placedin the functionalprojectionCP,where they
are accentuated.With heris situated
in theposition of TopP.In this case, the position of TopPcontainsalreadyknown
information. Analysis of thestructure ofthe sentences with perfectconstructions from the standpoint of generativegrammarunderlines that theemphasis of constituentsofsentencehappens due
totheirmovementto the functionalprojectionCP,whichincludes such functional
projectionsas TopPandFocP.In most casesthere
isaccentuationinmedialposition,namelybetween the positions ofthe auxiliaryverbandParticipleII,between
the positions ofthe subject and the predicateand in the initialposition
ofthe sentence that makes the sentence more expressive.
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