R: Re: Tense & Aspect

[roslyn frank]

>From: "Frank Rossi" <iglesias at axia.it>
>Date: Sun, 28 Mar 99 19:21:56 PST

[big snip]

Frank Rossi said:

>b) In Occitan, the language of southern France, the preterit is (or was,
>considering the present state of the language) still used alongside the
>periphrastic perfect..
>However, as far as I know, the substrate of Southern France was less
>uniformly and less unquestionably Latenian Gallic, and I have read
>somewhere that there was probably only a dominant Gallic element
>co-existing with pre-Gallic (Ligurian?, Iberian?, Vasconic? Aquitanian?)
>subject masses.

Some years ago I was told by Andolin Eguzkitza, a Basque linguist, that
in Euskal Herria the preference for the periphrastic perfect in Spanish
(and/or French) was influenced by Euskera's insistence on distinguishing
between what has happened in the same "day" and what took place in the
time period(s) before. However, a difficulty arises in reconstructing
the cognitive background of this usage in Euskera since there is clear
evidence that in the not too recent past, it was a "night count" rather
than a "day count" that governed the 24 hr. period in question. The
count went from "sunset" to "sunset" or if you wish from
"night-to-night." Euskaldunak have told me that the periphrastic perfect
needs to be used to talk about what's happened since "you woke up this
morning."

Larry would be able to give us more information on this phenomenon as
well as the rules set forth by Euskaltzaindia (the Basque Academy of the
Language) for its "proper usage."  My impression is that today there is
significant variation in usage among native-speakers of Euskera. There
also seems to be evidence of a kind of "narrative style" that uses the
periphrastic perfect for stylistic effect when speaking about actions in
the (remote) past. But I'm a bit out of my depth in this particular
issue.

[snip]

Izan untsa,
Roz Frank