The grammar of the english verb phrase part 72 pps

In other words, because the binding orientation time is a pseudo-t0, the past tense is used as a pseudo-absolute tense, whose function is to express a T-relation in a post-present domain

forms express T-posteriority to the central orientation time or to another pseudo-t0and therefore function as pseudo-t0’s themselves

[If I get caught by the police] I will tell them that they’re making a mistake (The present tense T-locates the situation of making a mistake simultaneous with the situation of telling The present tense is used because the situation time of will tell

is treated as a pseudo-t 0 )

[If I get caught by the police] I will tell them that my solicitor will prove to them that they’re making a mistake (The future tense of will prove T-locates the proving posterior to the pseudo-t 0 set up by will tell, and the present tense of are making (a mistake) locates the mistake-making simultaneous to the pseudo-t 0 set up by will prove.)

What I’ll tell them is that, if I everget seriously ill, I will tell the board at once that

I’m going to resign because Ifeel incapable of continuing my work as general manager.

This (recursive) mechanism will be discussed in more detail in 9.20⫺22 9.17.3 It needs stressing that the relations expressed by the underlined and italicized verb forms in the above examples are T-relations expanding a do-main The fact that the same verb forms can also express a relation to t0(when they are used as absolute tense forms) is irrelevant to this Relations to t0are not T-relations expanding a domain There is, indeed, an essential difference between t0and a post-present orientation time treated as a pseudo-t0 As ex-plained in 9.14.1, any relation starting from t0is an ‘absolute deictic relation’ The same is not true of relations starting from a post-present orientation time functioning as ‘pseudo-t0’ Such relations are expressed by pseudo-absolute tenses These create a pseudo-past or pseudo-pre-present subdomain, which can be expanded just like a ‘real’ past or pre-present domain

In sum, there exists a set of tenses that are used to express T-relations in a post-present domain Because the central post-present orientation time is treated as a pseudo-t0, these tenses are ‘pseudo-absolute’ tenses That is, they have the same form as the absolute tenses but they express a domain-internal T-relation rather than establishing a new domain For example:

[If you shoot him] I will tell the police that youmurdered him.

The use of the past tense formmurdered here does not effect a shift of domain

because it does not relate the situation of the subclause to (the real) t0 It relates

it to a post-present orientation time which is treated as if it were t0 In other words, because the binding orientation time is a pseudo-t0, the past tense is used as a pseudo-absolute tense, whose function is to express a T-relation in a post-present domain, viz T-anteriority (in the sense of: ‘The situation time is located in a pseudo-past zone which is defined relative to a pseudo-t0’) Pseudo-absolute tense forms function like relative tenses: they express a T-relation inside an already established domain In doing so they establish a pseudo-absolute subdomainwithin the post-present domain

This is not to say, however, that a pseudo-absolute past tense is a ‘relative

past tense’ ⫺ see also 9.23 below As noted in 8.24.1, a relative past tense

expresses T-simultaneity in a past domain, a ‘past subdomain’ (see 9.3.1) or a

‘pseudo-past subdomain’ (see 9.18) A pseudo-absolute past tense differs from

this in that it expresses T-anteriority (rather than T-simultaneity) in a

post-present (rather than past) domain and in that it expresses this relation only to

a specific sort of orientation time, viz a pseudo-t0 For these reasons, a

‘pseudo-absolute’ past tense is to be distinguished from a ‘relative’ past tense, although

it does express a T-relation in a domain In fact, ‘pseudo-absolute’ is a concept

that is not on a par with ‘absolute’ and ‘relative’ There are absolute tenses

and there are relative tenses, but, strictly speaking, there are no

pseudo-abso-lute tenses When we speak of ‘pseudo-absopseudo-abso-lute’ we are referring to a particular

(special, because resulting from a shift of perspective) use of a tense which is

basically used as an absolute tense but now fulfils the function of a relative

tense, i e a tense expressing a T-relation in a domain (This discussion is

resu-med in 9.23.)

C Expressing T-anteriority in a post-present domain

A situation time that is anterior to t0is located either in the past time-sphere

or in the pre-present zone In the same way, a situation time that is to be

interpreted as anterior to the central orientation time of a post-present domain

is located either in the pseudo-past time-sphere or in the pseudo-pre-present

zone (both of which are defined relative to the pseudo-t0) This means that we

will use either the preterite or the present perfect

post-present domain

9.18.1 We use the preterite if we want to locate the situation time at a time

which we view as past with respect to, and as disconnected from, the

post-present pseudo-t0, i e if we want to locate the situation time in apseudo-past

subdomain

Sooner or later the police will find out that you were staying here today, and not

in Glasgow

(spoken in 2006) From 2012 onwards, any employees that didn’t work hard enough

during the preceding year will earn less during the following year

At the end of the concert, I will find someone who enjoyed the performance and

someone whodidn’t enjoy it and record an interview with each of them.

9.18.2 Note that it is irrelevant whether the pseudo-past situation time pre-cedes, includes, or follows (the real) t0 The W-relation between the situation time and t0is not expressed by the tense form: the past tense only expresses the T-relation between the situation time and the pseudo-t0 Thus, in the following examples, the situation of the subclause is interpreted as W-anterior, W-simul-taneous and W-posterior to t0, respectively:

This will make the police believe that hewas killed yesterday.

This will make the police believe that youwere staying here today, and not in London.

This will make the police believe that hewas killed several hours later than he will

actually be killed

9.18.3 The pseudo-past situation time can itself serve as binding orientation time for other situation times that are introduced into the pseudo-past subdo-main The latter situation times are then referred to by means of the tense system that is used to express T-relations in a genuine past domain:

[If we kill him tomorrow night,] the police will think that he was killed when he

came home after he had attended the meeting at his club They will believe that he

was murdered because hehad found out where the heroin would be handed over.

In this example the post-present domains established by will think and will believe each contain a pseudo-past subdomain, which is expanded as if it were

a true past domain See Figure 9.9, which represents the tense structure of the first sentence in the above example As is clear from this structure,was killed is

the form establishing the pseudo-past subdomain andcame is a normal relative

preterite expressing T-simultaneity in that subdomain

Figure 9.9 The tense structure of [If we kill him tonight,] the police will think that

he was killed when he came home after he had attended the meeting at his club.

9.18.4 A pseudo-past subdomain can also be created by the future perfect.

As we will see in section 9.25, the future perfect locates its situation time either

in the pseudo-pre-present or in the pseudo-past In the latter case, when

an-other situation time is temporally subordinated to the central orientation time

of thepseudo-past subdomain(i e to the situation time of the future perfect),

the tenses effecting this binding are in accordance with the rules described in

the previous subsection In other words, the pseudo-past subdomain created

by the future perfect is expanded as if it were a true past domain:

[If you only arrive at the party after midnight, we will not see each other any more,

because] I will have left when Susanleft [and she has to be home before midnight].

However, the subdomain created by a future perfect is more often interpreted

as a pseudo-pre-present subdomain If such a subdomain is expanded, it is

expanded in exactly the same way as a true pre-present domain is expanded,

i e as if it were a past domain:

[Send a telegram saying that she is dangerously ill Then, by the time we send the

second telegram saying that she is dead,] he will have been warned that the situation

was serious [and the news won’t come as quite such a shock] (Will have been

warned both establishes a post-present domain and locates its situation time (the

time of the warning) in a pseudo-pre-present subdomain forming part of that

post-present domain The pseudo-pre-post-present subdomain in question is developed as if it

were a past domain by means of was, which expresses T-simultaneity.)

For further discussion, see section 9.25

post-present domain

9.19.1 When a situation time is located in a period leading up to (and not

felt to be divorced from) the pseudo-t0 (⫽ the central orientation time of the

post-present domain), this period is treated as if it were the pre-present zone

Naturally, it is the present perfect that is used to locate a situation time in such

apseudo-pre-present zone:

From next month onwards, any bread thathas not been sold by the end of the day

will be given to the orphanage

Who will look after you when Brad and Sybilhave left?

[Don’t try to fool him.] He will soon find out that you have been leading him up

the garden path

In these examples the present perfect is used as a pseudo-absolute tense

9.19.2 The pseudo-pre-present situation time may serve as binding time for

other situation times that are introduced into the post-present domain The

latter situation times are then referred to by means of the tense system that is typical of the pre-present zone For example, if the present perfect is of the

‘indefinite’ type, its situation time will be treated as if it were a past orientation time (see 9.9) This means that the pseudo-pre-present subdomain created by the present perfect within the post-present domain will be treated as if it were

a past domain:

The police will certainly ask you whether anyone has ever told you that they had been bitten by your dog, [and you will not be able to say ‘no’ because I’m telling

you now that I’ve been bitten by it] (Has told establishes a pseudo-pre-present subdomain which is developed as if it were a past domain, witness the use of had been bitten to express T-anteriority.)

[If ever you want to use Tina’s car, don’t ask Tom if you can do so but ask her directly.] Otherwise Tom will tell everybody that youhave told him that you wanted

to use Tina’s car but were afraid to ask her directly (Have asked establishes a pseudo-pre-present subdomain, in which the relative past tense forms wanted and were express T-simultaneity.)

Notice, however, that not all pseudo-pre-present subdomains can be expanded

as if they were past domains Sometimes they cannot be expanded at all, so that the speaker can only create a new subdomain (interpreted as W-simulta-neous with the existing one):

[If he doesn’t come at Christmas either] it will be exactly three years since wehave been told how he {is / *was} doing (We cannot use was doing to express T-simulta-neity in the pseudo-pre-present domain established by have been told This is because

of the continuative interpretation: ‘Next Christmas the not-telling-us-how-he-is-do-ing will have been actualiznot-telling-us-how-he-is-do-ing for exactly three years’ ⫺ see 5.21.1.)

In 9.9.6⫺10 we have observed that there are similar constraints on developing (genuine) pre-present domains

D The expression of T-simultaneity in a post-present domain

post-present domain

9.20.1 Since the central orientation time of a post-present domain functions

as a pseudo-t0, it is the present tense that is used to represent another situation time as coinciding with it:

He will steal the diamonds while his accomplicediverts the guard’s attention.

If the weatheris fine tomorrow, father will say that it is time for a picnic.

[If you leave the country] the police will never find out where youare.

The tense structure of (the relevant part of) the last example is represented by

Figure 9.10 (Note that the present tense form are is used here as a

pseudo-absolute tense form Its function is to represent its situation time as coinciding

with the post-present pseudo-t0.)

Figure 9.10 The tense structure of The police will never find out where you are.

9.20.2 Because the default meaning of the present tense is that it locates a

situation time at t0(rather than at a post-present pseudo-t0), this

pseudo-abso-lute use of the present tense may cause ambiguity if there is no context making

it clear that the reference is to the post-present This applies specifically to

subclauses that easily allow a shift of domain

The police will find out where youare (Where you are is ambiguous between ‘where

you are now’ and ‘where you will be then’.)

[If you leave the country] the police will find out where youare (The conditional

clause makes it clear that where you are must be interpreted as having post-present

time reference, i e as meaning ‘where you will be at the time when the police will

find out about your whereabouts’.)

[You should try to order from several suppliers, because] you will never know who

is the cheapest [unless you try them] (ambiguous)

9.20.3 This use of the present tense as pseudo-absolute tense is restricted to

some kinds of subclause (e g complement clauses, conditional clauses

express-ing an ‘open condition’, restrictive relative clauses) In independent clauses and

in some types of subclause (e g nonrestrictive relative clauses) reference to the

present requires the use of an absolute tense form creating a new

post-present domain, which, because of the context or pragmatics, is interpreted as

W-simultaneous with the existing post-present domain Hence the difference

between the following:

Next time you will be met by a man who is wearing a red tie (Is wearing is a

pseudo-absolute present tense representing its situation time as coinciding with the

situation time of will be met This representation in terms of coincidence is possible

because the full situation of wearing a tie is represented as homogeneous by the progressive form ⫺ see 2.12.2.)

Next time you will be met by a man Hewill be wearing a red tie (Will be wearing

is a future tense form establishing a post-present domain which is interpreted as W-simultaneous with that established by the first clause.)

The tense distribution of the two forms ⫺ the future tense as absolute tense and the present tense as pseudo-absolute tense⫺ will be examined in detail in chapter 10 (This distribution has nothing to do with the present tense per se, but everything with the context in which it is used.)

A present tense form locating a situation time in a post-present domain sometimes expresses ‘sloppy simultaneity’ This means that the bound situation time and the bind-ing time are not really simultaneous, but are (for a rhetorical purpose) represented as simultaneous with each other For example:I will turn off the central heating when I

go out.

9.20.4 The use of a tense form representing a bound situation time as T-simultaneous with a binding situation time as a rule requires that the situations

of the two clauses be W-simultaneous (i e either coincide or overlap ⫺ see 2.18.2) This is the case in the examples given in 9.20.1⫺3 However, there is only ‘sloppy simultaneity’ between the situations in sentences like the follow-ing:

When Johncomes home, I will tell him about the accident.

[Be careful in your speech tonight.] The newspapers will print everything yousay.

If Marydies, John will come into a fortune.

Each of these examples refers to two situations which do not coincide or over-lap but follow each other Still, the tense used in the subordinate clause is each time the tense that is typically used to express T-simultaneity, not T-anteriority T-anteriority would be expressed as follows:

When Johnhas come home, I will tell him about the accident.

The newspapers will print everything that youhave said.

If (by the end of the year) Maryhas died, John will come into a fortune.

It appears, then, that present tense forms whose basic meaning is to express T-simultaneity with a post-present situation time can sometimes be used in cases where there is no real W-simultaneity between the two situations Such present tense forms expresssloppy simultaneity In these cases the speaker disregards