TEMPORAL-ASPECTUAL COMPLEX IN VERBAL FORMS OF ALBANIAN LANGUAGE

Abstract

Tense forms in Albanian language, (present, past, future) may be interpreted as such only in relation with the moment of speaking and when they respond to question when?: [she returns (when?) – on Saturdays; she returned [used to return] (when?) – every evening; she returned (when?) – last year; she is returned (when?) – today; she will return (when?) – tomorrow]. In these cases, we may state that the above forms belong to present tense, past tense or future tense. The meanings of simultaneity, of past tense and future tense, expressed by them, comprise the real temporal semantics. But if the speaker or the writer would be interested not only in the tense when action is carried out but also in the way the process (action) is conducted, then the other meanings which overlap on tense form in certain speech context or situation cannot be considered as secondary meanings or as stylistic use of one form or the other, as they are interpreted in some cases in normative grammars. Different characteristics of verbal action that do not refer to the moment of speaking cannot be categorized as pure temporal semantics. The manner of presentation of development (course) of action or its distribution in time comprises the aspectual semantics, which stands on a language level other than temporal semantics. The scope of this study is semantic functional categories of temporality and aspectuality in Albanian language verb, which characterize the status and functioning of indicative tense forms. The study aims to throw light on semantic, functional organization of temporality and aspectuality categories in Albanian language, and linguistic means for their expression, to find and differentiate the real tense meaning from aspectual one in tense forms of Albanian language.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n19p656