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 the the sentence is given a past tense interpretation. This is marked using one of three suffixes -p'n, -s'n, and -s'p'n. Which suffixes is used depends on the grammatical person and the source of speakers knowledge.

In Mi'gmaq, when a verb is marked for past tense it is marked with a suffix that surfaces after person marking and is followed by additional suffixes that mark plurality.

1. negmow  nemia'ti-pn-ig  
   They    see.3>3-PST-PL  
   'They saw them'

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 we drop the final 'n' of the suffix.

1. gil  nemit-'p     
   you  see.2>1-PST  
   'You(sg)see me'

When the sentence involves Obviation the -l suffixe becomes an long -n.

1. negum  nemia-pn-n       
   you    see.3>3-PST-OBV  
   'S/he (sg) sees him/her'

Two exceptions to the n-dropping is in conditionals and in embedded sentences.

1. ulagu      etug   lugwega-pn  
   yesterday  maybe  work.1-PST  
   'yesterday maybe I would have worked (I.e if you had asked)'

1. teltasi-ap   nemia-p’n    
   think.1-PST  see.3>3-PST  
   'I thought that he saw him'

Evidentiality

In addition to marking that a verb is past tense the speaker must also state the source of their information, this is known as evidentiality. There are three past tense suffixes which mark source of information known: the attestive -pn, the suppositive -sn, and the deferential -s'p'n.

The Attestive Evidential -p'n

The attestive evidential is the most common suffix used in the past tense and indicates a direct source of evidence. The speaker must participate in the event or witness it in order to use the -p'n correctly.

1. ulagu      tapusajig  ma'jat-pn-i'g          jinum-ug    
   yesterday  two        leave.vta-(3)-past-pl  man-pl      
   'Two men left yesterday ( I saw it)'

Note that the first person participation must involve the conscious participation 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 and instead must use the [#The suppositive evidential -s'n'|suppositive.] The example below is from Inglis(2002: 49)..

Context: You arrive late for class after falling asleep

Teacher: Tami e'gs'p? where were you?

Answer 1: nepaj-ap I (purposefully) fell asleep

Answer 2: nepaj-as I (accidentally) fell asleep

The suppositive evidential -s'n

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