Relative Tense and Aspectual Values in Tibetan Languages: A Comparative Study, Part 1

Bettina Zeisler

Walter de Gruyter, 2004 - Language Arts & Disciplines - 986 pages

This study presents a comparative approach to a universal theory of TENSE, ASPECT and MOOD, combining the methods of comparative and historical linguistics, fieldwork, text linguistics, and philology. The parts of the book discuss and describe (i) the concepts of TENSE, ASPECT and MOOD; (ii) the Tibetan system of RELATIVE TENSE and aspectual values, with main sections on Old and Classical Tibetan, "Lhasa" Tibetan, and East Tibetan (Amdo and Kham); and (iii) West Tibetan (Ladakhi, Purik, Balti); Part (iv) presents the comparative view.

Contents

• Introduction: 1
• Part I: 7
• Part III: 12
• The concepts of TENSE ASPECT and MOOD TAM: 17
• Events and presentation of events in language: 25
• reference: 56
• of FRAMING: 76
• differences of ASPECT and FRAMING: 82
• Prototypes of ASPECT and FRAMING: 105
• pragmatic functions of TAM concepts: 164
• towards a delimitation of: 174
• Part II: 215
• The Tibetan verb: 250
• Old and Classical Tibetan: 305
• context: 325
• mi: 334
• Tibetan: 450
• Modern Tibetan Lhasa dialect: 469
• Amdo and Kham: 526
• context: 576
• West Tibetan Ladakhi Purik Balti: 595
• The verb: 619
• duks and bor bors: 641
• The main temporal constructions: 672
• Narrative and other conventions: 797
• the set of oppositions in West Tibetan: 834
• A comparative view: 847
• action verbs: 862
• The development of the Modern Tibetan languages: 876
• Markers and auxiliaries: 936
• Authors index thematic: 955

Popular passages

Page 76 - Another way of explaining the difference between perfective and imperfective meaning is to say that the perfective looks at the situation from outside, without necessarily distinguishing any of the internal structure of the situation, whereas the imperfective looks at the situation from inside, and as such is crucially concerned with the internal structure of the situation...‎

Page 6 - The perfective does indeed denote a complete situation, with beginning, middle and end. The use of "completed", however, puts too much emphasis on the termination of the situation, whereas the use of the perfective puts no more emphasis, necessarily, on the end of a situation than on any other part of the situation, rather all parts of the situation are presented as single whole.‎

Page 73 - Accordingly, [progressive] is normally not used for stative constructions." (p. 91) "A [perfective] verb will typically denote a single event, seen as an unanalysed whole, with a well-defined result or end-state, located in the past. More often than not, the event will be punctual, or at least, it will be seen as a single transition from one state to its opposite, the duration of which can be disregarded.‎

Page 961 - JAOS Journal of the American Oriental Society. JASB Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal.‎

Page 101 - THE JUDGE came on swiftly. Out of the side-door, an ermined puppet progressing weightless along the bench, head held at an angle, an arm swinging, the other crooked under cloth and gloves, trailing a wake of subtlety, of secret powers, age: an Elizabethan shadow gliding across the arras. The high-backed chair has been pulled, helped forward, the figure is seated, has bowed, and the hundred or so people who had gathered themselves at split notice to their feet rustle and subside into apportioned place.‎

Page 108 - E. auch bei einer streng grammatisch eingestellten Erörterung des russischen Verbs an den fälligen Fragen der Aktionsarten nicht achtlos vorübergehen. Erste Voraussetzung einer ersprießlichen Diskussion über Aspekt und Aktionsart ist aber eine begriffliche Klärung beider Termini. Der Aspekt ist im Russischen eine grammatische Kategorie, die sich in der Fähigkeit, ja in der Notwendigkeit äußert, jeden verbal ausgedrückten Sachverhalt entweder als ganzheitlich aufgefaßtes und in sich geschlossenes...‎

Page 181 - If I, a native user of English, wished to report an act performed now, at the moment of speaking, I should, I think, instinctively use the Simple Present ... 'I put my pen down at this point, get up and walk over to the window.‎

Page 3 - It is, as we have said, largely a matter of historical accident that the notion of aspect does not figure as prominently in traditional grammar as does the notion of tense. Aspect is, in fact, far more commonly to be found throughout the languages of the world than tense is: there are many languages that do not have tense, but very few, if any, that do not have aspect. Furthermore, it has been argued recently that aspect is ontogenetically more basic than tense, in that children whose native language...‎

Page 148 - The effect of the progressive with its opening on to further possible development is to reinforce the feeling that the event might have continued and so it emphasizes the disruptive effect of the intervening circumstance.‎

Page 6 - since the present tense is essentially used to describe, rather than to narrate, it is essentially imperfective, either continuous or habitual‎

About the author

Bettina Zeisler is working in a research project at the University of Tübingen, Germany.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Relative Tense and Aspectual Values in Tibetan Languages: A Comparative Study, Part 1; Volume 150 of Trends in linguistics / Studies and monographs: Studies and monographs; Volume 150 of Trends in linguistics: Studies and monographs
• Author: Bettina Zeisler
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Walter de Gruyter, 2004
• ISBN: 3110178680, 9783110178685
• Length: 986 pages
• Subjects: Language Arts & Disciplines / Linguistics / General