What is experiential perfect aspect?

Definition
	Experiential perfect aspect is a grammaticalization of the current relevance, at the moment of utterance, of an event or state that occurred prior to the moment of utterance. The event or state is expressed as an experience which happened at least once, without respect to a particular location in time, and which is repeatable.

Examples (English)

Bill has been to America.

This example contrasts with the following sentence, which is an example of perfect of result aspect:

Bill has gone to America.

Source:

Comrie 1976a 58

Generic
	Experiential perfect aspect is a kind of
	What is a perfect?

Concept module: experiential perfect aspect
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): E
In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004