Routledge Dictionary of Language and Linguistics.pdf

Dictionary of language and linguistics 876perfect1 Term for a verbal category linked to tense and aspect.2 (also present perfect) In English, the perfect is formed with the auxiliary have andthe past participle of the main verb and denotes an action as having begun in the past, butextending up to the present (either as a continuing process or in repetition): I have livedhere all my life; She has given ten lectures this month; or some result of which is relevantto the present: She has just taken her exam (and is now waiting for the results). InAmerican English, there is the tendency to use the simple past instead of the presentperfect.ReferencesDik, S. 1989. The theory of functional grammar, part I: The structure of the clause. Dordrecht.Fenn, P. 1987. A semantic and pragmatic examination of the English perfect. Tübingen.McCoard, R.W. 1978. The English perfect: tense-choice and pragmatic inferences. Amsterdam.Michaelis, L.A. 1994. The ambiguity of the English present perfect. JL 30. 111–57.Quirk, R. et al. 1985. A comprehensive grammar of the English language. London.aspect, tenseperfectiveimperfective vs perfectiveperformanceChomsky’s term for the concrete individual linguistic event. Performance is based on thenotion of competence as the intuitive knowledge of the ideal speaker/listener about theregularities of the language. The term ‘performance’ overlaps with de Saussure’s termparole to a great extent. ( competence vs performance, langue vs parole)competence vs performanceReferences