Defining Linguistic Words and the Distinction Between Tense and Time

1. Challenges in Defining the Linguistic Word

Establishing a single, universal criterion for the delimitation of a word is complex due to overlapping linguistic properties.

Criteria for Word Delimitation

• Semantic: A word is often defined as a unit of meaning. However, this is problematic:
  • There are exceptions, such as the dummy it.
  • This criterion is not always straightforward (e.g., reheat), though it remains useful for comparisons like blackboard versus black board.
• Phonological: This relies on the potentiality for pauses between word boundaries. Note: Exceptions include prefixed and apostrophized words. This matches the graphological criterion in written language, where spaces separate words.
• Syntactic (The Most Satisfactory):
  • Internal cohesion: A word cannot normally be interrupted. Exception: Expletive infixation (e.g., absobloodylutely, infuckingcredible).
  • External distribution: Words possess positional mobility.
  • Minimal free form: The ability to stand alone.
  • These criteria apply to varying degrees depending on the word (e.g., idioms and phrasal verbs).

2. The Distinction Between Grammatical Tense and Time

There is no straightforward, one-to-one relationship between grammatical tense and the non-linguistic category of time.

Defining Time vs. Tense

Time is a universal, non-linguistic measure used to order events from the past through the present into the future, including the duration of events and intervals between them.

Tense is a linguistic concept defined as the grammaticalization of location in time. It is marked by verb inflection:

• Peter walks to the cinema. (Present tense)
• Peter walked to the cinema. (Past tense)

Why Tense is Not Time

While often used interchangeably, they serve different functions. Tense is a linguistic contrast between temporal references, not a direct reflection of time itself. A verb in isolation cannot possess tense; tense is an attribute of an utterance, requiring context for comparison.

• Present reference: "What are you doing?" "I'm reading."
• Future reference: "What are you doing on Wednesday evening?"