Remote Past Tense ( Concept )
http://purl.org/linguistics/gold/RemotePastTense


Thing
      |_ Abstract
            |_ Linguistic Property
                  |_ Morphosemantic Property
                        |_ Tense Property
                              |_ Remote Past Tense

Definition:

RemotePastTense locates the situation in question prior to the present moment, usually more than a few days ago [Dahl 1985,121; Comrie 1985,88]. Subsumes notion of PreHesternalPast tense, which locates the situation in question before that of an opposing hesternal past tense. [Bybee, Perkins, Pagliuca 1994, 98].



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Language Code: bjh In Bahinemo, the neutralised tense verb forms in question have overtly the form of the present, as in the following example, where the first verb is in the remote past tense, all following verbs in the present.
2009-06-04 13:28:09

Nem na ya- tagiya- m, du- qi- yasinu, de- tenowa- u, niba la- hina- fanel, idu du- wei
we sago eat- satisfy- REM.PST NEU- repeat- get.up.PRS NEU- ascend- PRS ridge IMM- upstream- arrive.PRS to.right NEU- walk.along.ridge.PRS
After we ate sago until we were satisfied, we got up again, we ascended, immediately we went up the stream bed and arrived at the ridge, we walked along the ridge to the right.


References:
Comrie (1985:103)

Language Code: cod Bybee, et al divide past tense systems into those that refer to daily cycles and those that do not. Typically, languages with past tenses that refer to a daily cycle will have tense that specifies 'today' and all others will refer to spans of time prior to 'today' (Bybee, et al 1994:99, Dahl 1985:125; Comrie 1985:93). Cocama is such a language. The examples above illustrate its three-way system of remoteness distinctions in the past tense.
2009-06-04 13:28:09
Ritama-catutsu-tsuri
town-togo-REM.PST
I went to town a long time ago.

References:
Bybee, Perkins, and Pagliuca (1994:98-99) FROM Faust (1978)

Language Code: ike NO_COMMENT
2009-06-04 13:28:09
tuqu-riikatap-puq
die-REM.PST-3.SG.IND
He died long ago.

References:
Bybee, Perkins, and Pagliuca (1994:99) FROM Fortescue (1984:272-3)


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