Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site dciem.UUCP
Path: utzoo!dciem!mmt
From: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: Tenses and Aspects in English and its relatives
Message-ID: <437@dciem.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 23-Oct-83 12:34:56 EDT
Article-I.D.: dciem.437
Posted: Sun Oct 23 12:34:56 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 23-Oct-83 19:36:49 EDT
References: <237@decvax.UUCP>
Organization: D.C.I.E.M, Toronto, Canada
Lines: 29

The discussion of tenses and aspects (durative, perfective, etc) reminds
me of an incident that occurred two weeks ago. I was having dinner with
a German, two Englishmen, two Frenchmen, a US person (what's an appropriate
term that differentiates such a person from Canadians and Mexicans?), and
two other Canadians (one French-speaking). At one end of the table
were the German, two English and one Frenchman, all talking German.
At the other, the other Frenchman and the two other Canadians, talking
French. In the middle, me listening to both conversations and contributing
in English to each, and next to me the US person, understanding nothing.
It was fun, but what blew my mind was an incident that happened in the
middle of the meal. The Frenchman talking German was having difficulty
expressing a concept, so they told him to try it in French (all being
French-speaking). He still had difficulty, so he called across to
his compatriot that he wanted a French lesson. When he couldn't get
across what he wanted to say, I suggested he try it in English -- and
THEN he was able to express what he wanted.
  The question was how to express the future completion of a hypothetical
action not yet begun. Something like "If I should have been living in
Russia, my children would have returned speaking Russian." (I don't think
that's exactly it, but something like). The point isn't whether the
notion can or cannot be expressed in French or German, but that this
educated Frenchman (and his friend) found it easier to get across the
idea in English, which was neither his native language nor the
language in which the conversation was being conducted.
  Is English really so much more versatile than its closest relatives
among major languages? Was this just an aberration? Is the aspect structure
of English better developed than that of French or German?

Martin Taylor