THE DYNAMICS OF THE TENSE SYSTEM IN THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE: WHY THE PERFECT DISAPPEARED AND HOW IT CHANGED THE WORLDVIEW
Keywords:
Language dynamics, tense system, Russian language, category of aspect, language evolution, linguistic worldview, grammatical development, verb tense forms, disappearance of the perfect, linguistic processes.Abstract
This article examines the disappearance of the perfect tense in Russian and its impact on the linguistic worldview. Old Russian had a rich past tense system (aorist, imperfect, perfect, pluperfect). The perfect expressed a past action with present relevance, formed with an *-׀-* participle and the auxiliary verb byti. Key reasons for its disappearance include: loss of the auxiliary verb, the language's tendency toward economy, development of verbal aspect (perfective/imperfective), and influence of colloquial speech. Consequences included: weakened link between past and present, increased role of context, and greater importance of aspect. The article concludes that the loss of the perfect transformed Russian, not impoverished it. The language reorganized how it expresses time, relying on context, word order, and aspect, proving language is a living, adaptive system.
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