Jennifer Herriman Språkworkshop II, 5 November 2010

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Jennifer Herriman

Språkworkshop II, 5 November 2010

Time and Tense

In

English and Swedish

Social Interaction

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TIME IS A COMMODITY

Do you have time?

time consuming

Don’t waste time!

Save time

Buy time

Har du tid?

tidskrävande

Slösa inte tid!

Spara tid

Köpa tid

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TIME MOVES THROUGH SPACE

• Time flies, • The flow of time• Time is drawing near

• Tiden går fort• Tidens gång. • Tiden närmar sig• Tiden löper ut

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TIME IS SPACE

For any length of time

Time is short

We are running out of time

To the end of time

En längre tid

Tiden är kort

IN THE PASTIN THE PRESENT IN THE FUTUREIN THE

PASTIN THE PRESENT

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AT THE CENTRE OF TIME-SPACE

PRESENT FUTUREPAST

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Vi går mot framtiden/ Heading for the future

PRESENT FUTURE

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PRESENT

PRESENT FUTUREPAST

THE PRESENT TENSE

You don't look back along time but down through it, like water. Sometimes this comes to the surface, sometimes that, sometimes nothing. Nothing goes away.

(Margaret Atwood. Cat’s Eye)

Man ser inte tillbaka längsmed tiden utan ner genom den, som vatten. Ibland är det ett som kommer upp till ytan, ibland något annat, ibland ingenting. Ingenting försvinner.

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PAST

PRESENT FUTUREPAST

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THE PAST TENSE

Den natten då Ronja föddes gick åskan över bergen, ja, det var en åsknatt så att allt oknytt som höll till i Mattisskogen förskrämt kröp undan i sina hålor och gömslen.

(Astrid Lindgren Ronja Rövardotter)

On the night that Ronia was born a thunderstorm was raging over the mountains, such a storm that all the goblinfolk in Matt's Forest crept back in terror to their holes and hiding places.

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ANTICIPATING THE FUTURE

• will, shall, going to, etc.

• ska, komma att, osv.

PRESENT FUTUREPAST

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INTENTION

"Ja", sa Lovis, "det stämmer på lite av varje. Därför är det säkrast att inte vara rädd i Mattisskogen.""Det ska jag komma ihåg", sa Ronja.

(Astrid Lindgren Ronja Rövardotter)

• "Yes," said Lovis, "that's true of all sorts of things. So the safest thing is not to be frightened in Matt's Forest.""I'll remember that," Ronia said.

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PREDICTION

"Ge er iväg, vildvittror", skrek han. "Jag ska ju ha barn nu i natt, begriper ni det, era maror!”

(Astrid Lindgren Ronja Rövardotter)

"Be off with you, harpies!" he shouted. "I'm going to have a baby tonight‑‑get that into your heads, you hags!"

Lack of correspondencetime and tense

PRESENT TIME - PAST TENSE

Did you want to speak to me now?

PAST TIME –PRESENT TENSE

And before we could do anything, in

comes Peter and punches Simon on the nose.

Ville du tala med mig nu?

Och innan vi kunde göra något, in

kommer Peter och slår Simon på käften.

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Social Interaction

Language is used to relate to others.

• Exchanging information (telling, asking, etc)

• Exchanging goods and services (offering, commanding, etc.)

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INTERPERSONAL SPACE AND TENSE

PRESENT FUTUREPAST

REMOTE CLOSE REMOTE

Exchanging Information

• Involvement, commitment = close

• Lack of Commitment = remote

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Exchanging Information about future time

certainty = present tense

The train leaves at nine tonight

Tåget går klockan nio ikväll

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Exchanging information about past time

involvement = present tense Han svarade ”Vi får träffa

människor av alla slag och från alla världsdelar.” Det är toppen! Just när han säger så, passerar Lars Larsson bärande på en plastback med lunchmat till uppvärmning.

He answered “Here we get to meet all kinds of people and from all parts of the world and everyone is so nice. This is great!"

Just as he is saying this, Lars Larsson passes by carrying a plastic box filled with food to be heated up for lunch

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Exchanging information about present time

’unreal’ = past tense'I wish life was like banking,'

I said. 'I don't mean it's straightforward. Some of it's incredibly complicated. But you can understand it in the end, if you try hard enough.

(Julian Barnes Talking it over)

Jag önskar livet var som bankjobbet", sa jag. "Jag menar inte att jobbet är enkelt. En del av det är otroligt komplicerat. Men man begriper i alla fall till sist om man lägger manken till.

Exchanging information about present time

’unreal’ = past tense• He talks as if he

owned the place.• If only we had more

time!• If he was here, I

would ask him

• Han pratar som om han ägde stället.

• Om vi bara hade mera tid på oss!

• Om han var här, då skulle jag fråga honom

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Exchanging Goods and Services

• Pass me the sugar, please

• Do you need any help

• Ge mig sockret, är du snäl

• Behöver du hjälp?

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Politeness

• Positive face: close, intimacy, involvement, sharedness

• Negative face: distance, deference, respect

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Negative face

• Did you want to speak to me now?

• I was wondering if you would water the flowers.

• Ville du tala med mig nu?

• Jag tänkte be dig vattna blommarna

• Speaker is in the centre

• Present = close, real, positive face

• Past = remote, unreal, negative face

• Are there differences between English and Swedish?

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Exchanging information about future time

certainty = present tense "Akta dej för vildvittror och

grådvärgar och Borkarövare", sa han."Hur vet jag vilka som är vildvittror och grådvärgar och Borkarövare", frågade Ronja."Det märker du", sa Mattis.”

(Astrid Lindgren Ronja Rövardotter)

"Watch out for wild harpies and gray dwarfs and Borka robbers," he said."How will I know which are wild harpies and gray dwarfs and Borka robbers?" asked Ronia."You'll find out," Matt said

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Exchanging information about past time

involvement = present tense Vad som sedan hände

minns jag otydligt. Mor satt på soffan I sitt rum och blödde näsblod. Hon försökte lugna min syster. Jag står i barnkammaren och betraktar min kinematograf, faller patetiskt på knä och lovar gud både film och apparat om mor och far blir vänner.

(Ingmar Bergman Laterna Magica)

I can’t remember clearly what happened next. Mother was sitting on the sofa in her room, her nose bleeding. She was trying to calm my sister. I was in the nursery looking at my cinematograph. I fell pathetically to my knees and promised God he could have my films and all my apparatus a long as Mother and Father became friends again.

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Exchanging information about past timeinvolvement = present tense

Jag satt i någons knä och blev matad med välling. Tallriken stod på en grå vaxduk med röd bård. Emaljen var vit med blå blommor, den speglade det sparsamma ljuset från fönstren. Genom att böja mig åt sidorna och framåt, prövade jag olika blickpunkter. Allteftersom jag rörde huvudet förändrades reflexerna I vällingtallriken och formade nya mönster. Plötsligt kräktes jag över alltsammans.

(Ingmar Berman: Laterna Magica)

I am sitting on someone's knee being fed with gruel. The plate is on grey oilcloth with a red border, the enamel white, with blue flowers on it, and reflecting the sparse light from the window. By bending my head sideways and forwards, I try out various viewpoints. As I move my head, the reflections in the gruel plate change and form new patterns. Suddenly I vomit over everything.

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Exchanging information about present time

opinions = past tense

Det var ju konstigt så mycket skog som här växer

Va gott det var!

Det var så sant!

Det var en fin jacka du har.

That's odd, there is so much forest here.

This is delicious!

That is really true!

That’s a nice jacket you’ve got there

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Exchanging information about present time

opinions = past tense

Det var bra, Mattis, att du kom så övermåttan hastigt", sa Borka

(Astrid Lindgren Ronja Rövardotter)

"It's a good thing you came so uncommonly fast," said Borka.

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Exchanging information about present time

opinions = past tense

Den spiken satt väldigt hårt, kom och hjälp mig dra!

(SAG)

This nail is really stuck. Come and help me pull it out!

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Exchanging Goods and Services past tense for present time

negative face

Förlåt att jag stör men det gällde ett fornminne som ska finnas här.

(Stig Claesson Vem älskar Yngve Frej)

I'm sorry to disturb you, but it's about an ancient monument there's supposed to be somewhere here.

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Exchanging Goods and Services past tense for present time

negative face

• Hur var namnet? • Då var det dags för

middag• Här var biljetterna,

varsågod.

• What is your name?• It’s dinner time!

• Here are the tickets

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Exchanging Goods and Services past tense for present time

negative face

• Fanns det växel?

• Så var vi framme. • Hade du min kofta?

• Do you have any change?

• Here we are!• Have you got my

cardigan?

Exchanging Goods and Services present tense for future time

positive face

Vi tar den andra

Jag följer dig hem

We’ll take the other one

I’ll walk you home.

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Time – is conceptualised as space – experienced from the speaker’s point of

view.– is expressed by tense

Events – Close in time = present tense– Remote in time = past and future tenses

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Social Interaction

• Distance vs. proximity in the time space = distance vs. proximity in human relations

• Distance to others expressed by tense

• Present = close, real, familiar

• Past = remote, unreal, deference

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Tense in Social Interaction

Swedish uses past tense more often to create a deferential distance, e.g. when expressing opinions and making requests (in many set expressions)

Nu var det

äntligen dags att sluta!

TACK!

Now, it is time to finish at last!

THANK YOU!

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