Prof. Krasimira Aleksova, DSc., Dr. Danka Apostolova, Assoc. Prof.,
Dr. Yana Sivilova, Assoc. Prof., Dr. Laska Laskova, Assist. Prof.,
Dr. Mihaela Moskova, Assist. Prof., Diana Androva
Sofia University
Institute for Bulgarian Language “Prof. Lyubomir Andreychin”
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
https://doi.org/10.53656/bel2024-5-1A
Absract. This study presents and discusses the results of a non-representative survey
conducted with 3166 Вulgarian native speakers, investigating respondents’ preferences for competing temporal forms of verbs in different types of subordinate clauses, when the context expresses temporal features that the verb in the subordinate clause should carry. The hypothesis tested includes the expectation that both when choosing from suggested competing verb forms in the subordinate clause and in independently creating forms, respondents would prefer a less marked verb form, replacing the marked one due to syntagmatic (contextual) neutralization of one or more temporal oppositions. However, when choosing from suggested competing forms, it is possible, though not predominantly, for some respondents to opt for a more marked verb form.
Keywords: contemporary Bulgarian; verb tense; main and subordinate clause; indirect time location; anteriority; posteriority; resultativeness; syntagmatic (contextual)
neutralization; perceptual linguistics
