27:
argued to exist in some languages which have a meaning roughly characterizable as "past and not present" or "past with no present relevance". The phrase "discontinuous past" was first used in the sense described here in an article by the linguists
Vladimir Plungian and Johan von der Auwera published
168:
in West Africa like
English has both past progressive and past habitual forms. The past progressive "differs from the Past Habitual in that it says nothing about the present state of affairs. The Past Habitual conveys that the state no longer obtains or the action is no longer occurring. The Past
35:
A perfective discontinuous past is a past tense where, not the action itself, but the result of the action was of limited duration and no longer holds at the moment of speech. Thus in a language containing such a tense, the equivalent of "he came" would usually imply that the person has gone away
52:
The discontinuous past marker may be the only marker of tense within a basically non-tensed verbal system. Such systems are found in the
Pacific Ocean languages, east and west Africa, and in languages of North America and the Amazon. “Atemporal” systems with discontinuous past marking are also
39:
Similarly, a pluperfect tense such as "he had come" could either be a perfect in the past (implying that the man was still there), or a discontinuous past in the past (implying that the man had come earlier on but had now gone away again). In
English the tense can have both meanings.
251:
refers to these four tenses as "Recent past with present influence", "Remote past with present influence", "Recent past without present influence" and "Remote past without present influence" respectively. Of the Remote past without present influence (tense-marker
31:
Plungian and van der Auwera distinguish two types of discontinuous past: imperfective and perfective. An imperfective discontinuous past is a tense like "he used to come" in
English, which usually carries an implication that the activity was of limited duration.
63:
A system may have no specialized discontinuous past markers, but the meaning of the discontinuous past can be part of the meaning of another verbal marker. In this case one can also speak about a “discontinuous use” of some marker (with other basic meanings or
567:
The fact that the first event described in each sentence is earlier than the second "is clearly a factor in the choice of tense". But there is also an element of discontinuous past, since the result of the first verb was later cancelled by the second.
135:
This tense normally carries an implication that the speaker no longer lives in London, although, as Comrie points out, this implication is not absolute. For example, the following sentence probably implies that the person still smokes:
446:
According to de
Saussure and Sthioul (2012), such sentences are often used in contexts where there is not only an implication that the state no longer holds but where there is also a potentiality that the situation might be reversed.
118:
Imperfective tenses can be divided into various categories, for example stative, progressive, iterative, and habitual. According to
Plungian and von der Auwera, discontinuous past marking is found most often for habituals.
115:. With imperfective verbs (states, durative processes, habitual situations), the markers of discontinuous past "denote situations of limited duration, which are claimed not to extend up to the moment of speech".
75:
In a questionnaire devised by Östen Dahl (1985) to elicit tenses used in various languages in different contexts, one question in particular was designed with regard to a non-continuous past situation:
60:
The discontinuous past marker may be one among several tense markers in a system, which thus provides a fine-grained grammatical distinction between the standard past and the discontinuous past.
68:
In terms of morphology, a common source of discontinuous past tenses can be tenses which denote the remote past. In many languages discontinuous past tenses are also derived from the
189:
in central Africa. It has four tenses available to express events in the past. Two of them, like the
English perfect, imply that the result of the action still prevails:
450:
In other contexts the double perfect is not discontinuous but is used like a pluperfect to emphasise that the activity was brought to a conclusion:
348:
perfective tenses of
Chichewa are parallel to the remote ones. Watkins refers to these as the Recent past with present influence (tense-marker
341:"The last statement would ... be quite perplexing unless the native should decide that a second creator did a more enduring piece of work."
127:
An example of past imperfect tense in
English which is often said to have a discontinuous meaning is the English past tense with "used to":
144:
The other English past imperfective tense ("I was doing") does not have a discontinuous implication and can be used in either situation:
669:
824:
91:
According to Dahl, "quite a few" languages use the pluperfect tense in answering this question. Other languages, such as
970:
492:. The latter usually has a discontinuous meaning, as in the following examples, which contain both types of pluperfect:
814:
402:
or "doubly compound past", made using the perfect tense of the auxiliary combined with the perfect participle, e.g.
48:
Plungian and von der Auwera distinguish three possibilities of marking the discontinuous past in various languages:
648:
36:
again. Such tenses have also been labelled "anti-resultative" or tenses of "cancelled (or reversed) result".
480:
language has two forms of the pluperfect tense in passive and deponent verbs, one using the imperfect tense
675:
Squartini, Mario (1999): "On the semantics of the Pluperfect: evidence from Germanic and Romance", in:
628:
Cable, Seth (2015): "The Tlingit Decessive and 'Discontinuous Past' ". Ms. University of Massachusetts.
408:(literally, "he has had eaten"). In some contexts this tense can have a discontinuous implication:
108:
659:
248:
820:
665:
112:
477:
216:
The two past tenses, however, normally imply that the result of the action no longer holds:
611:
345:
178:
92:
54:
880:
182:
161:
964:
96:
616:
632:
169:
Progressive ... says that an action was once ongoing (and may still be ongoing)".
692:, Vol. 13, No. 2, Language Dissertation No. 24 (Apr.-Jun., 1937), pp. 5–158.
69:
20:
763:
Dahl, (1985), question 61; cf. Plungian & von der Auwera (2006), p. 325.
594:
396:
Some dialects of French, notably Swiss French, have a tense known as the
879:
Watkins (1937), p. 56. Watkins obtained his information from a student,
683:
831:(1995), p. 233, quoted in Plungian and von der Auwera (2006), p. 323.
442:"The baby used to eat (solid food), but she doesn't eat it any more."
186:
165:
303:"But one must use the latter form in order to agree with Genesis:
107:
Plungian and von der Auwera divide discontinuous past tenses into
685:
A Grammar of Chichewa: A Bantu Language of British Central Africa
571:
The perfect infinitive passive made using the perfect infinitive
151:
He was sitting at his desk a moment ago (and probably still is).
24:
99:(spoken in Ghana) have specialised markers for this situation.
352:) and the Recent past without present influence (tense-marker
148:
He was sitting at his desk a moment ago (but isn't there now).
617:
Latin tenses#Perfect passive tenses made with fuī and fueram
256:) and the Remote past with present influence (tense-marker
263:"If one wishes to adhere to good theology, one must say:
672:
Sprachtypol. Univ. Forsch. (STUF), Berlin 59, 4, 317–349.
883:, who was later to become the first President of Malawi.
320:"God created the world and his creation is yet existent"
486:
as an auxiliary, the other using the pluperfect tense
660:"Tense and Aspect in Chichewa, Citumbuka, and Cisena"
140:
He already used to smoke even when he was at school.
670:"Towards a typology of discontinuous past marking."
212:"he came (yesterday or earlier), and is still here"
239:"he came (yesterday or earlier), but has now gone"
662:. Ph.D. Thesis. Stockholm University, p.119-121.
816:A Grammar of Kisi: A Southern Atlantic Language
865:
850:
377:
361:
328:
307:
287:
267:
233:
222:
206:
195:
736:Plungian & von der Auwera (2006), p. 327.
727:Plungian & von der Auwera (2006), p. 326.
718:Plungian & van der Auwera (2006), p. 324.
601:by the sudden blow, but he had now recovered'
597:addressed the people: she said that the king
8:
910:de Saussure & Sthioul (2012), section 5.
429:
412:
403:
397:
279:"Jesus Christ died, but did not remain dead"
581:
572:
534:
496:
487:
481:
467:"When he had finished eating, he departed."
454:
745:Plungian & von der Auwera, pp. 333–5.
647:de Saussure, Louis; Sthioul, B. (2012).
587:rēgem subitō ictū; ... iam ad sē redīsse
201:"he has come (today), and is still here"
892:Watkins's spelling has been modernised.
702:
653:The Oxford Handbook of Tense and Aspect
577:can also have a discontinuous meaning:
424:"I used to know, but I have forgotten."
794:Plungian & von der Auwera, p. 323.
772:Plungian & von der Auwera, p. 323.
709:Plungian & von der Auwera, p. 317.
371:"I have eaten (and am not now hungry)"
44:Typology of discontinuous past markers
536:tumultus ... quī prīncipiō eius annī
7:
356:). He gives the following examples:
668:& Johan van der Auwera (2006).
228:"he came (today), but has now gone"
14:
387:"I ate (but am now hungry again)"
86:the window (and closed it again)?
813:Childs, G. Tucker (1995-01-01).
583:populum Tanaquil adloquitur ...
299:"Jesus Christ died and is dead".
555:at the beginning of that year,
95:(spoken in North America) and
1:
637:. Cambridge University Press.
682:Watkins, Mark Hanna (1937).
649:"The Surcomposé Past Tense".
599:had been knocked unconscious
103:Types of discontinuous past
987:
435:, mais elle ne mange plus.
840:Kiso (2012), pp. 119–121.
803:Comrie (1976), pp. 28–30.
131:I used to live in London.
781:Comrie, Bernard (1976).
651:In Binnick, R. I. (ed.)
642:Tense and aspect systems
631:Comrie, Bernard (1976).
551:"A rebellion ..., which
901:Watkins (1937), p. 56.
866:
851:
582:
573:
535:
497:
488:
482:
455:
430:
413:
404:
398:
378:
362:
329:
308:
288:
268:
234:
223:
207:
196:
819:. Walter de Gruyter.
666:Plungian, Vladimir A.
658:Kiso, Andrea (2012).
640:Dahl, Östen (1985):
971:Grammatical aspects
677:Linguistic Typology
644:. Oxford: Blackwell
517:"The bridge, which
417:, mais j'ai oublié.
245:Grammar of Chichewa
249:Mark Hanna Watkins
17:Discontinuous past
941:Woodcock (1959),
754:Squartini (1999).
53:typical for many
19:is a category of
978:
955:
952:
946:
939:
933:
930:
924:
917:
911:
908:
902:
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795:
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779:
773:
770:
764:
761:
755:
752:
746:
743:
737:
734:
728:
725:
719:
716:
710:
707:
589:
576:
545:
511:
491:
485:
462:
437:
419:
407:
401:
399:passé surcomposé
381:
365:
336:
315:
294:
274:
237:
226:
210:
204:Remote perfect:
199:
55:Creole languages
986:
985:
981:
980:
979:
977:
976:
975:
961:
960:
959:
958:
953:
949:
940:
936:
931:
927:
918:
914:
909:
905:
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859:
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827:
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780:
776:
771:
767:
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758:
753:
749:
744:
740:
735:
731:
726:
722:
717:
713:
708:
704:
699:
625:
612:Chichewa tenses
608:
519:had been broken
474:
460:, il est parti.
394:
289:Yesu Khirisitu
269:Yesu Khirisitu
175:
158:
125:
105:
46:
12:
11:
5:
984:
982:
974:
973:
963:
962:
957:
956:
947:
934:
932:Livy, 41.19.3.
925:
912:
903:
894:
885:
872:
857:
842:
833:
825:
805:
796:
787:
774:
765:
756:
747:
738:
729:
720:
711:
701:
700:
698:
695:
694:
693:
680:
673:
663:
656:
645:
638:
629:
624:
621:
620:
619:
614:
607:
604:
603:
602:
591:
585:sōpītum fuisse
565:
564:
548:
547:
542:oppressus erat
538:exortus fuerat
531:
530:
514:
513:
473:
470:
469:
468:
464:
463:
444:
443:
439:
438:
426:
425:
421:
420:
393:
390:
389:
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373:
372:
368:
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339:
338:
322:
321:
317:
316:
301:
300:
296:
295:
281:
280:
276:
275:
260:) he writes:
241:
240:
229:
214:
213:
202:
177:Chichewa is a
174:
171:
162:Kissi language
157:
154:
153:
152:
149:
142:
141:
133:
132:
124:
121:
104:
101:
89:
88:
66:
65:
61:
58:
45:
42:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
983:
972:
969:
968:
966:
954:Livy, 1.41.5.
951:
948:
944:
938:
935:
929:
926:
922:
921:Bellum Civile
916:
913:
907:
904:
898:
895:
889:
886:
882:
876:
873:
868:
861:
858:
853:
846:
843:
837:
834:
828:
826:9783110810882
822:
818:
817:
809:
806:
800:
797:
791:
788:
784:
778:
775:
769:
766:
760:
757:
751:
748:
742:
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733:
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724:
721:
715:
712:
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703:
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681:
678:
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671:
667:
664:
661:
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635:
630:
627:
626:
622:
618:
615:
613:
610:
609:
605:
600:
596:
592:
588:
586:
580:
579:
578:
575:
569:
562:
561:been put down
558:
554:
550:
549:
544:
543:
539:
533:
532:
528:
524:
520:
516:
515:
510:
509:
508:erat refectus
505:
501:
495:
494:
493:
490:
484:
479:
471:
466:
465:
461:
459:
458:il a eu mangé
453:
452:
451:
448:
441:
440:
436:
434:
428:
427:
423:
422:
418:
416:
411:
410:
409:
406:
405:il a eu mangé
400:
391:
386:
385:
382:
380:
375:
374:
370:
369:
366:
364:
359:
358:
357:
355:
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342:
335:
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327:
326:
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318:
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284:
278:
277:
273:
272:
266:
265:
264:
261:
259:
255:
250:
246:
238:
236:
231:Remote past:
230:
227:
225:
219:
218:
217:
211:
209:
203:
200:
198:
192:
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114:
110:
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100:
98:
94:
87:
84:<open>
83:
79:
78:
77:
73:
71:
62:
59:
56:
51:
50:
49:
43:
41:
37:
33:
29:
26:
22:
18:
950:
943:Latin Syntax
942:
937:
928:
920:
915:
906:
897:
888:
881:Kamuzu Banda
875:
860:
845:
836:
815:
808:
799:
790:
785:, pp. 24–40.
782:
777:
768:
759:
750:
741:
732:
723:
714:
705:
689:
684:
676:
652:
641:
633:
623:Bibliography
598:
584:
570:
566:
560:
556:
552:
541:
540:, ... brevī
537:
527:been rebuilt
526:
522:
521:by a storm,
518:
507:
503:
499:
475:
457:
449:
445:
432:
414:
395:
392:Swiss French
376:
360:
353:
349:
343:
340:
331:
323:
310:
302:
290:
282:
270:
262:
257:
253:
244:
242:
232:
221:
215:
205:
194:
176:
160:The Kisi or
159:
143:
134:
126:
117:
109:imperfective
106:
90:
85:
81:
74:
67:
47:
38:
34:
30:
16:
15:
679:3.1, 51–89.
504:interruptus
502:tempestāte
697:References
553:had arisen
498:pōns, quī
433:a eu mangé
415:J'ai eu su
185:spoken in
164:spoken in
113:perfective
70:pluperfect
21:past tense
867:ánáabwéra
655:, ch. 20.
346:hodiernal
332:adaapanga
235:ádáabwéra
193:Perfect:
181:language
28:in 2006.
965:Category
945:, p. 79.
919:Caesar,
852:anábwera
690:Language
606:See also
595:Tanaquil
512:(Caesar)
506:, paene
379:ndinadya
344:The two
330:Chiwuta
311:adapanga
309:Chiwuta
224:anabwéra
208:adábwera
183:Chichewa
173:Chichewa
525:almost
324:"not:
283:"not:
247:(1937)
243:In his
197:wabwera
123:English
72:tense.
923:1.7.1.
823:
783:Aspect
634:Aspect
590:(Livy)
574:fuisse
546:(Livy)
500:fuerat
489:fuerat
456:Quand
363:ndadya
271:adaafa
220:Past:
187:Malawi
166:Guinea
93:Oneida
64:uses).
864:Also
849:Also
559:soon
478:Latin
472:Latin
431:Elle
334:dziko
313:dziko
291:adafa
254:-daa-
179:Bantu
80:Q61
25:verbs
821:ISBN
483:erat
476:The
354:-na-
258:-da-
156:Kisi
111:and
97:Akan
557:had
523:had
350:-a-
82:You
23:of
967::
688:,
563:."
529:."
870:.
855:.
829:.
593:'
337:.
57:.
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