Basis for tense analysis in African languages

Abstract

The verb category tense is scrutinized. Comrie's recent publication, which deals specifically with tense, serves as premise for the discussion. Special attention is devoted to the distinction between absolute and relative tense. Although Comrie's views on tense clarify certain aspects of this phenomenon, a number of philological objections remain, while the applicability of the general theory to the African languages also poses some problems. A number of publications by other experts were consulted in an attempt to resolve these problems. The widely accepted view that the deictic centre is projectable is rejected.