22) Категория временной соотнесенности. Проблематика. Значения перфектных форм в связи с лексическим характером глагола. Предельные / непредельные глаголы (terminative / non-terminative)

The category of time correlation is based on the opposition non-perfect/perfect. The strong member of the opposition is perfect form.

The non perfect denotes an action as a fact within a certain time sphere. It can also denote an action which follows another action. In this case we speak of transposition and neutralization (транспозиция в пользу слабого члена оппозиции)).

The main meaning of the perfect form is priority. The perfect form denotes an action as prior to some pointed period of time or to some action. But it hasn’t always been so – значение результативности (have my room repaired).

The perfect form developed from the combination to have (a notional verb) + a direst object + an attribute, expressed by Participle 2 which agreed with the noun. The main meaning of the construction was resultative (потом согласование утратилось и прямое дополнение вышло за 2 глагольные формы – современный перфект форм).

However the perfect form even now may denote an accomplished action with a result. Sometimes it denotes an action which began before a certain moment in the past and has been going on up to a present moment. It depends on the so called lexical character of the verb that is whether the verb is terminative or non terminative.

A terminative v denotes an action which has a limit in its development. A non-term verb denotes an action which doesn’t admit of any limit in its development. The verb can be term just by the meaning of the root (to stop), phr verb are terminative (almost all of them). Sometimes the terminative character of the verb is clear from the context. (He is writing a letter) – (he writes well) Non-term verbs usually denote perception of senses, mental perception, emotions, position in space and the like. The term/non-term character of the verb is closely connected with the functioning of the certain grammatical forms.

According to some scientific grammatists (Sweet, Poutsma, Onions) the perfect form is a tense form. In this case the Perfect form is treated as a secondary or a relative tense (prepast, prefuture). Poutsma and Onions said that the perfect form denotes a state as a result of an accomplished action.

Il’in – the perfect form is a resultive aspect

Voronzova – it’s a retrospective aspect

Александр Иванович Смерницкий was the first who identified this category (the opposition perfect/non-perfect as a category) and gave its name to it.

Now there are 3 main points of view on the perfect form:

• it’s a relative (secondary) tense

• a category of time correlation

• it is an aspect

23) Категория залога. Проблема залога.

The category of voice (which is found both with finite and non-finite forms) is one of the most formal grammatical categories, because this category doesn’t refer to any fragment of reality, doesn’t reflect any fragment of reality – it’s a way of describing a certain fragment of reality.

There is no immediate connection with the voice and the reality. The category of voice deals with the interrelations between the participants of an event and how they are represented in the sentence. If the subject is the doer of the action the predicate is used in the active voice and if the subject is an object of the action the predicate is used in the passive voice.

There are 2 structural types of sentences with PV: with a 2-member passive (an object and an action) and with a 3-member passive (an object, an action and a doer of the action). The 2-mp is usually used in the following cases: 1) when the action is the most important element 2) circumstances of the action are the most important element (He was sent to London. He was given a great sum of money.) 3) an object of the action may be the most important element (A new hotel is being built here).

The 3mp is often used when the doer of the action is known and is the communicative centre. (It was made by me brother).

Unlike Russian, in which the PV can be formed only from transitive proper verbs, in English we can form a PV from verb which can take any object (direct, indirect, prepositional).

The tense forms of the PV: in the main, the meaning pf the tense forms of the PV coincides with those of the AV. They are discussing an important problem – an important problem is being discussed. However in the system of tense forms of the PV there are no perfect cont forms and future cont forms. In case one of these forms is necessary we can use: 1) the perfect form or future ind (with non terminative verbs) 2) to be under smth (discussion, review, repair, construction) 3) a sentence with the verb in the AV, the grammatical subject of which is usually the indefinite personal “they” or some words which denote the actual doer.

Some verbs can have only direct passive (even if in active they have 2 objects). Indirect passive is possible but it turns into direct passive. A new rule was explained to me – I was explained a new rule.

Some grammarians (mostly older) find some other voices in English. Thus the use of the verb predicate with reflexive pronouns are considered by them to be reflexive voice and combination with reciprocal pronouns are treated by them as reciprocal voice. If we want to treat it as voices we can consider them to be analytical forms of the voice but if we consider Voices as a grammatical category with special markers, we can’t say that it is a voice. There is no special way of expressing the RV and the R pronoun is not obligatory – it’s not a special category.

The idea of the Passive voice is expressed not only by means of “to be + P2”, but by means of “get”, “come”, “go” + P2 and “get” + passive infinitive (ingressive meaning - He got involved; He got to be respected).