Tense

Under Construction

Introduction

Grammatical Tense refers to the expression of time at which a verb is carried out and is usually though of in terms of present, past and future.

The past tense is subdivded between at least three sets of possible morphemes to mark not only that the utterance is past tense but also the source of information, a grammatical category known as evidentiality.

We will use the term discourse time to refer to the time an utterance is produced and event time refers to the time at which the verb took place.

Present

If the event time and the discourse time overlap the event is interpreted as present tense. In the present tense the verb is unmarked for tense.

Past Tense

If the event time precedes the discourse time is given as past tense interpretation. This is marked using one of three morphemes that express not only tense but the source of information. Inglis refers to the three morphemes as the attestive -p(n) , the suppositive -s(n) and the deferential -s'p(n, the distribution of each is described below. Each ending has two variants depending on their position in the verb. Unless followed by a plural or obvaitive suffix the past tense is marked word-finally. Generally, when word final the suffixes drop the final 'n'. <examples> Two exceptions to the n-dropping is in conditionals and in embedded sentences. <examples>

Evidentiality

It has been argued that Mi'gmaq does not have a true tense system like the one we have in English. Iglis for example argues that only the attesttive -pn carries with it a notion of past-tense and only because people typically only attest to past events. However, we will assume that the three suffixes express tense the followoing reasons:

1. When one of the three suffixes are used the utterance is obligatorily interpreted as past tense

Example

2. The suffixes are incompatible with adverbs expressing the present or future

Example

We will assume that these suffixes also obligatorily express evidentiality because:

1. The suffix selected is determined by the source of evidence the suppositive can not be used with the first person if the verb inherently requires conscious participation

The Attestive Evidential

The attestive evidential is the most common suffix used in the past tense. It is used to mark direct, first hand knowledge of the verb event, either through concsious participation of the first person or through witnessing the event through sight or hearing. <Examples> Note that the first person participation must ivolve the conciousparticipation of the participant. For example if the participant accidently falls asleep and is late for class then s/he may not use the attestive suffix.

The Suppositive Evidential and the Deferential Evidential=

When the speaker does not participate in the verb event that they are discussion, or are not consously aware of there participation. Then they use on of to suffixes -s'n or -s'pn. -Sn is the suppositive suffix used to mark that the speaker knows about the verb event either through being told about it or through some sort of inference. It does not refer to the speakers comittement that the event in question has occured. -S'n surfaces only with first and third person subjects in intransitives and usually only with third/fourth person combinations in transitives

examples

-S'n is is complementary distribution with the deferential evidential -s'pn. s'pn is used when either the subject, or if the verb is transitive, the object is second person.

examples

s'pn is described by Inglis as being similar to a tag question along the lines of 'isn't that so' , with no

The Past Tense embedded under verbs of personal experience

The matrix verb can restrict the surfacing of suffixes on the embedded verb. For example, a suppositive suffix cannot be used when embedded under the verb thought when the subject is first person. < examples>

Past tense in Questions

Only the suppositive or the deferential suffix can be used in questions. Intuitively ths makes sense because someone is unlikely to ask a questions regardign something in which they were an active participant. See Questions For futher discussion. <examples>

Negation in the Past

All suffixes can appear under negation in the past <examples>

Future Tense

The future referse to events that are expected to take place after the discourse time. Note that a key distinction between the future and other tenses is that the future tense refers not to actual events but only to hypothetical situations. The future is expressed using a distinct set of person markers then the past and the present. <> Third person participants in the future have two possible endings depending on the verb.

Future and Negation

The future suffixes are not used in the negative future. Instead the future is marked using a distinct negative particle. See Negation for further discussion