GERMAN PERFEKT ON THE PATH TOWARDS PRETERITE:THE MIDDLE HIGH GERMAN PERIOD
https://doi.org/10.18384/2310-712X-2021-6-90-102
Abstract
Aim. The paper explores the use of the analytical perfect haben/sein + PII based on the sample retrieved from the corpus of Middle High German texts. Methodology. A special emphasis is placed on the contexts, which may indicate the movement of the anterior semantics towards a past perfective/preterit. The analysis was based on the hypothesis proposed by S. Schwenter about the present perfect in present day Spanish dialects. Results. It is proposed to view instances of haben/sein + PII with NPs connected to activities of historical figures as a special use of the perfect with a shift of the discourse topic, which does not contribute to the change of the anterior semantics. In the meanwhile, examples, though not frequent, with temporal adverbs of the definite past time, such as naht (at night), gestern (yesterday), may point to the first steps of the present perfect moving towards a preterit. It is also noted that a significant role in the process of the loss of the current relevance is played by atelic verbs, which are used with the experiential perfect to denote not far remote events (this night, yesterday). Research implications. The research results contribute to the theoretical study of aspectology of the Germanic languages, in particular, the specifics of the diachronic evolution of the German temporal system.
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