Time and its linguistic means of expression. Tense in Russian and English

The category of tense

The category of tense is a system of three-member opposemes such as writes — wrote — will write, is writing — was writing — will be writing showing the relation of the time of the action denoted by the verb to the moment of speech. The time of an action or event can be expressed lexically with the help of such words and combinations of words as yesterday, next week, now, a year ago, at half past seven, on the fifth of March, in 1957, etc. It can also be shown grammatically by means of the category of tense.

The difference between the lexical and the grammatical expression of time is somewhat similar to the difference between the lexical and the grammatical expression of number.

a) Lexically it is possible to name any definite moment or period of time. b) Lexically a period of time is named directly (e. g. on Sunday). c) The grammatical indication of time is indirect: it is not time that a verb like asked names, but an action that took place before the moment of speech. d) As usual, the grammatical meaning of 'tense' is relative. Writes denotes a 'present' action because it is contrast with wrote denoting a 'past' action and with will write naming a 'future' action. _А_____В_____С_____D_____Е__

past present future

The correlation of time and tense is connected with the problem of the absolute and relative use of tense grammemes.

We say that some tense is absolute if it shows the time of the action in relation to the present moment (the moment of speech). This is the case in the Russian sentences: Он работает на заводе. Он работал на заводе. Он будет работать на заводе. The same in English: He works at a factory. He worked at a factory. He will work at a factory. But very often tense reflects the time of an action not with regard to the moment of speech but to some other moment in the past or in the future, indicated by the tense of another verb.

Он сказал, что работал на заводе. Он будет работать на заводе, он работает на заводе. Он скажет, что он работал на заводе/Будет работать на заводе.

Here the tenses of the principal clauses сказал and скажет are used absolutely, while all the tenses of the subordinate clauses are used relatively. The present tense of работает does not refer to the present time but to the time of the action сказал in the first case and скажет in the second. The future tense of будет работать does not indicate the time following the present moment, but the time following the moment of the action сказал in the first case and скажет in the second. The same holds true with regard to the past tense of работал. He worked at a factory. He said that he had worked at a factory/He would work at a factory. The past tense of worked in the sentence He said that he worked at a factory also shows the past time not with regard to the time of the action of saying (as would be the case in the Russian sentence Он сказал, что работал на заводе), but with regard to the moment of speech.