A Cognitive Approach To Tense-Alternation In Narrative

Tense marks the temporal properties of the verb. It refers to the time at which the action or state referred to by the verb is asserted to hold. In terms of modern linguist frame, there mainly two tenses exist in English: simple present tense, simple past tense. The relationship between tense and time has been the subject of much linguistic study, and it is now plain that there is no easily stable relationship between tense and time. Historical present (HP) tense is the mixture of simple present tense and simple past tense. It is the use of the present tense to refer to past events. It has been one of the controversial uses of tense, although it has long been recognized as a feature of narrative. Presently, the study on the HP tense is mainly carried out in terms of traditional theory, semantics, syntax, while the cognitive study on its usage has not received enough attention and lacks a systematic analysis. The Viewing Arrangement, which is closely related to Stage Model, can be applied to probe into the analysis of information processes and using mechanism of HP tense in a deep way.On the basis of Space Grammar, Langacker (1991) proposes the Cognitive Grammar. Deposing of framework of Transformational Grammar, Langacker proposes that Canonical Event Model should be used to study component and structure of syntax. As one of critical component of Canonical Event Model, Stage Model regards speaker and listener as viewer who analyzes content of discourse. The content of discourse is "onstage". The listener and speaker may clearly be expressed in the discourse appearing on stage as background, in most cases, however, the speaker and listener are invisible, who are bystanders observing matters on stage. Stage Model aims to show us the cognitive iceberg behind grammatical structure and foundational sentence pattern.The historical present tense is taken as the subject in the study. The process of how historical present tense construe events and recollection is studied by Viewing Arrangement so that the functions of human body, object, space, consciousness and emotion in the process of cognition are made explicit. Viewing Arrangement is a kind of cognitive model and serves a function of cognitive purposes, which can provide an alternative perspective for the study on the historical present tense.